Vikings remain undefeated at home with win over Munster

Munster traveled to Valpo to take on the Vikings in Saturday’s non-conference game. The Mustangs came into this game 10-6, with a couple of big wins over Portage, South Bend St. Joseph, and Zionsville. They are an experienced team, with eight seniors on their roster and a couple of juniors.

It was a back-and-forth contest the first two quarters that consisted of good shooting from both teams and intense defensive matchups. In the second quarter, the shooting of the Vikings really came alive, shooting 5/5 from three-point land. They went on a little spurt where it seemed like they couldn’t miss. The Vikings went into halftime all tied up at 31.

Out of the break, the Vikings kept exchanging buckets with the Mustangs, hitting threes and turning rebounds into second-chance opportunities. Munster had a two-point lead heading into the final quarter. But the Vikings were determined to get the win on their home floor.

Valpo came out in a 1-3-1 trapping defense and right away forced a turnover. They stayed in this defense for the first half of the quarter and then rotated back to man. The Vikings were down 53-52, and Jack Smiley hit a pullup jumper and 1 to give Valpo the lead with two minutes left in the game. Caden Crowell then hit a mid-range jumper to increase the lead to four with 1:15 left on the clock. Munster missed a three, and Smiley capitalized, hitting a layup on the other end of the floor and pushing the lead to six. Inside the arc, the Vikings were perfect from the field in the fourth quarter, shooting 7/7. Valpo pulled off the win 62-55 and kept the home-winning streak alive.

Jack Smiley led the way with 26 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Caden Crowell and KJ Avery both had eight points each. Valpo shot 50% from three-point range, which is one of the reasons they got the win tonight. The Vikings also dominated the boards, grabbing 27 as a team, eight of which were offensive. Munster only had 15 rebounds the entire game, with three of them being offensive. Next Thursday is "Meet the Vikes Night", where the Valparaiso Vikings will take on the Laporte Slicers at home.