Preview: Stern Titans vs. Los Angeles Leadership Academy Lions
Stern and Los Angeles Leadership Academy are an even 3-3 against one another since December of 2019, but not for long. The Stern Titans will look to defend their home court on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Leadership Academy Lions at 3:30 p.m. Stern will stroll in with a eight game home winning streak (dating back to last season), but they should still watch out: the last time they lost at home was their January 26 matchup with Los Angeles Leadership Academy.
Stern has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 25 points or more this season. They breezed by Animo De La Hoya on the road to the tune of 68-30. Given Stern's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 492nd, while Animo De La Hoya is ranked 1314th), the result on Monday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Stern got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was David Garcia out in front who dropped a double-double on 18 points and ten rebounds. The matchup was Garcia's sixth in a row with at least ten points. Mark Bautista was another key contributor, scoring 17 points.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Leadership Academy earned a 41-32 victory over Rise Kohyang on Friday.
Los Angeles Leadership Academy's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Andrew Blackman led the charge by scoring 15 points. Blackman also scored 15 points for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Adam Hernandez, who scored eight points along with three steals.
Stern has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a nice bump to their 8-2 record this season. As for Los Angeles Leadership Academy, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Stern have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 33.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Los Angeles Leadership Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 16.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Stern was dealt a bruising 55-24 loss at the hands of Los Angeles Leadership Academy in their previous matchup back in January. Thankfully for Stern, Adlaii Borboa (who scored 22 points along with six rebounds and five steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
