Varsity vs South Bend Washington HS (66 - 57) Win The Vikings hosted South Bend Washington on Saturday, one of their games that was rescheduled due to the weather. Valpo’s main focus was Washington’s Steven Reynolds, a four-star sophomore who averages 24 points per game. In the first quarter, the Vikings excelled down low, getting most of their buckets within the paint. If it wasn’t in the paint, it was at the free throw line, shooting 7/8 from the line in the quarter. Valpo was up on South Bend Washington at the end of the first, 19-12. It was a scoreless first two minutes at the beginning of quarter number two while the Vikings continued their dominance in the paint. The defense of Valpo came alive in the second, forcing turnovers and bad shots from the Panthers. At the end of the first half, Valpo still had the lead, 32-23. The third quarter was more of the same: getting into the paint, running in transition, and getting easy buckets. Valpo held a variety of defenses in their back pocket, switching between zone and man. There was always a defender following South Bend Washington’s Reynolds to make sure he never got an open look at the basket. Going into the fourth quarter, the Vikings had the lead, 46-36. They were able to increase their lead by 16 in the fourth quarter. Valpo would eventually win the game 66-57 and move to 12-4 on the year. Alec Platipodis was dominant all night in the paint, scoring a career-high 18 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Jack Smiley scored 16 points while dishing nine assists. KJ Avery and Julian Stokes both scored eight points each, and Stokes also grabbed 10 rebounds. The Vikings will go to Merrillville next Friday and then host Munster that Saturday. With DAC matchups coming up, the Vikings hope to prove their case on why they are a team to look out for within the conference. -Michael Opperman, VHS Senior