Basketball Game Preview: Southridge Spartans vs. Mater Academy Charter Lions

The Southridge Spartans will square off against the Mater Academy Charter Lions on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Last Friday, Southridge took their game with ease, bagging a 75-45 win over Miami Beach. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 93rd, while the Hi-Tides are ranked 343rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Luke Bello

Points

01/31/25 @ Miami Beach	11
01/16/25 @ Belen Jesuit	2
12/28/24 vs Bogan	2

Southridge had a senior duo take command as Luke Bello dropped a double-double on 11 points and 12 boards and O?Cien Valdes posted 14 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Bello has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Deandre Hardy, who had ten points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Mater Academy Charter had no problem doing just that on Monday. They put the hurt on the Hi-Tides with a sharp 58-36 victory.

Mater Academy Charter is also on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-12 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 29.5 points. As for Southridge, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 15-7.

Southridge didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Mater Academy Charter in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, but they still walked away with a 73-68 victory. Will Southridge repeat their success, or does Mater Academy Charter have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.