Basketball Game Preview: Central Valley Hawks vs. Johansen Vikings

The Central Valley Hawks will take on the Johansen Vikings at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing isn't great for Central Valley: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while Johansen has snatched up six consecutive wins on the road.

Last Wednesday, Central Valley didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Livingston, but they still walked away with a 65-61 win. With that victory, the Hawks brought their scoring average up to 50.6 points per game.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Central Valley to victory, but perhaps none more so than Emmanuel Carranza, who went 5 of 11 on his way to 15 points in addition to eight boards and three blocks. That's the most blocks Carranza has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Andre Flores, who posted 14 points along with six rebounds and five steals.

Meanwhile, Johansen earned a 61-51 win over Lathrop on Wednesday. Given the Vikings' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 364th, while the Spartans are ranked 878th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Johansen's win came from a few key players Central Valley will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Wilbert Gaxiola, who put up 24 points. His evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ivan Martinez, who had 17 points.

Johansen is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.4 points per game. As for Central Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 8-10.

Central Valley lost to Johansen at home by a decisive 66-51 margin in their previous matchup back in December of 2023. Will Central Valley have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.