The Valparaiso Vikings managed to fend off strong opposition from their Portage Indians rivals in last night’s Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) sectional game, held at Chesterton High School.
Valparaiso came into the game, fresh off their 52-46 win over Michigan City last Saturday. In their last matchup, Valparaiso pulled off a solid 48-38 win over the Indians.
Despite being odds-on favorites and posting some impressive numbers this season, the Vikings (16-5, 4-3) found themselves in a tough playoff game against the Indians (5-13, 1-6), who fought hard throughout the game, with the score often being separated by just a single point.
The Indians continue to prove themselves a scrappy team, coming off of a hard-won game against Lake Central last Friday that saw Portage come on strong in the third quarter, which pushed them to take the lead to a final 42-40 win.
The standout player of the game for the Vikings was #33, Kiana Oelling. The 5’11” senior G/F pounded the courts, putting up an amazing show and scoring 20 points for her team, with a score in every quarter of the game.
The Indians can be especially proud of the performance of every member of their team, especially #22, Diamond Howell-Geredine, 6’ senior F who scored 10 points, as well as #23 Jordan Barnes, 5’8” senior guard and #13 Izzy Shields, 5’11” junior forward, with 7 game points each.
The Vikings will advance in the playoffs, and will return to Chesterton to face their next opponent this Friday night.