The holiday break comes to an end Thursday, Jan. 2 for the Missouri Valley Vikings as their men’s and women’s basketball teams will return to conference play at home against Grand View.

The Viking men are hoping for a strong start to 2025, as they enter the spring portion of the season with a 3-10 overall mark, including 2-7 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. The Vikings closed out December with losses on the road to Benedictine and Clarke. Meanwhile, the Viking women rebounded from their first three losses of the year with wins before the break at Clarke, as well as in a exhibition game at NCAA Division Two’s Rockhurst and a 100-29 dousing of Central Christian College. The women are 10-3 overall, including a 6-3 record in Heart action.

Thursday’s games at the Burns Athletic Center are free admission. The women will tip off at 5:30, followed by the men’s contest around 7:30.

Meanwhile, high school basketball contests today include Jamestown visiting St Elizabeth for a doubleheader. In a girls’ contest, Warsaw will visit Stockton, while the Breckenridge and Keytesville boys will battle in Keytesville.  The doubleheader between Slater and Smithton previously scheduled for Thursday is now Friday evening.