(Mason Jones recorded a double-double in the Valpo win)

 

Valparaiso met Hammond Central in the regular-season finale for both squads.

 

Hammond Central forced four Valpo turnovers and went seven of seven inside the arc in the opening quarter to grab a 17-10 lead. Vynce Overshawn opened the game with a triple and later intercepted a Valpo pass for a breakaway layup. Amauri Moore scored twice at the rim, and Jordan Woods scored four points.

 

Valpo junior Mason Jones tallied four points and four rebounds in the first period. He was the only Viking finding any success at the beginning of the game.

 

In the second quarter, Breece Walls started getting into the teeth of the Hammond Central defense. He either scored himself or found Jones, Blaine Dalton, or Michael Flynn for open looks. Behind Dalton’s shot-making, Valpo erased the deficit in a hurry.

 

Midway through the second period, Valpo held a 24-19 lead. However, the Wolves answered with threes from Overshawn and Kenneth Grant. Plus, Hammond Central continued to finish well in the lane, and it did not take long for the Wolves to regain the lead.

 

To end the half, Overshawn found Woods sealing his defender on the block for an easy layup, and the Wolves took a 32-28 lead to the locker room.

 

At the start of the second half, Overshawn knocked two triples, and Woods scored in transition to give the Wolves an 8-0 run. Hammond Central led 40-28, not even a minute into the third quarter.

 

Walls tried to get the Vikings back into the game, but Hammond kept answering behind Overshawn’s three-point shooting. He scored 17 points through the first three quarters.

 

Central took a 50-40 lead to the final quarter.

 

Fifteen seconds into the fourth, Adler Hazlett knocked down a three-pointer for Valpo. That sparked the Vikings’ comeback. Halfway through the quarter, Blaine Dalton drilled a triple then made two free throws to give Valpo the 55-54 lead.

 

Matthew King scored in the lane to pull Central within 59-58 of Valpo with a minute left.

 

Walls broke the Wolves press for a layup plus the foul after coming out of a timeout. It was a backbreaker for Hammond Central. As usual, Walls played a hand in every phase of the game for the Vikings. He finished the game with 15 points, eight assists, and three rebounds.

 

Dalton created a steal and scored on the other end to seal the game with 15 seconds left.

 

Valpo won going away 66-59.

 

Dalton’s 16 points led Valpo, plus he grabbed five rebounds. Flynn tallied 13 points and three rebounds, while Jones collected a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Connor McCall had two points, six rebounds, and two assists.

 

Overshawn led Central with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Woods had 15 points, three steals, four rebounds, and two assists. Moore recorded ten points and four rebounds. King finished with seven points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

 

On Wednesday, Valpo finished the regular season 19-4 and plays Merrillville in the Portage sectional. Central dropped to 15-7 in its first season as a school. The Wolves play Highland in the Lake Central sectional.