Lady Vikes Capture 4th Straight Sectional Championship

The Lady Vikings celebrate a sectional championship on Saturday, February 7th. Photo by PC3's Brody Kosiara.

The Valparaiso High School girls basketball team delivered a dominant performance over the Merrillville Pirates, capturing their fourth sectional championship by a final score of 58-20 on Saturday night. The Lady Vikings won each game in their sectional by 30+ points including a blowout win against cross-town rival Chesterton in the opening round, followed by a dominant victory over Hobart in the semi-finals.

Senior guard Lilli Barnes hit a huge milestone during the second quarter of this game, scoring her 2000th varsity career point. This season has been especially memorable for Barnes as she has not only surpassed the all time Valparaiso scoring record, she has also added 500 steals and 500 assists to her career totals.

With the sectional trophy now secured, the Lady Vikings advance to regionals where they await a matchup with the Northridge Raiders (19-7) in Jimtown next weekend. The Raiders knocked off the Warsaw Tigers, a team that was one of Valpo's only two losses on the year. Tip-off for this regional game starts at 7 p.m (Eastern Time) on Saturday, Feburary 14th.