Basketball Game Preview: Mater Academy Charter Lions vs. Hialeah Gardens Gladiators

The Mater Academy Charter Lions will face off against the Hialeah Gardens Gladiators at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Last Monday, Mater Academy Charter was fully in charge, breezing past BridgePrep Village Green 52-19. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Lions.

Mater Academy Charter found their leader in sophomore Jahi Lopez, who went 7 of 11 en route to 17 points and six rebounds. Lopez is also on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last four games he's played. Sebastian Tello was another key player, putting up seven points and three steals.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Hialeah Gardens, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They claimed a resounding 75-39 win over iMater Charter.

Hialeah Gardens found their leader in sophomore Robert Masis, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 13 boards. Hialeah Gardens is 3-1 when Masis posts eight or more rebounds, but 4-9 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Ray Hernandez Jr, who posted four points in addition to 11 boards and seven assists.

Hialeah Gardens smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 32 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 27 consecutive contests dating back to last season.

The victory got Mater Academy Charter back to even at 11-11. As for Hialeah Gardens, their win bumped their record up to 7-10.