Varsity vs Hobart (65 - 50) Win The Vikings celebrated their four seniors on Tuesday at home against Hobart. Valpo had the lead, 17-10, at the end of the first quarter and had the Brickies on the ropes early. In the second quarter, the Vikings stayed inside the painted area for mostly all of their points. If it wasn’t in the paint, it was at the free throw line, shooting 6/6 from the charity stripe. Valpo capitalized on their misses by grabbing offensive rebounds and converting contested layups. The team went into half still leading the Brickies, 37-24. To start the half, Hobart went on a 9-3 run to bring their deficit to within seven. If they wanted to get back in the game, they had to start shooting threes to try and cut the lead, which is what they did. Although they only made two threes in the quarter, they were able to get more looks off of those openings in the defense. At the end of the third quarter, it was 46-38 in favor of Valpo. Hobart started off the fourth quarter with a quick four points and a deficit of only four points, 46-42. The Brickies run stopped there. The rest of the game, the Vikings were active on the defensive end and turned misses from the Brickies into points on the other end. Valpo won the fourth quarter 19-12 and won with a final score of 65-50. Jack Smiley led the charge with 23 points, six assists, and five rebounds. Caden Crowell added 11 points while also grabbing 10 rebounds. Jaden Adams and KJ Avery both scored eight points each. Another main factor that led to the Vikings win was the rebounding component. Valpo outrebounded Hobart 37-15 and grabbed more offensive rebounds than the Brickies total rebounds. Valpo will host Crown Point on Friday in a DAC matchup where the conference title is still up for grabs. -Michael Opperman, VHS Senior