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

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

Mater Academy Charter is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. Everything went their way against Miami Beach as Mater Academy Charter made off with a 58-36 win.

Meanwhile, Southridge blew past Miami Beach, posting a 75-45 victory. Given the Spartans' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 93rd, while the Hi-Tides are ranked 343rd), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.

Mater Academy Charter better focus on containing Luke Bello and O?Cien Valdes as the pair were huge in Southridge's win. Bello dropped a double-double on 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Valdes posted 14 points. Those 11 points gave Bello a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Deandre Hardy, who scored ten points and six boards.

Mater Academy Charter now has a winning record of 13-12. As for Southridge, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 15-7.

Mater Academy Charter came up short against Southridge in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 73-68. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Valdes, who went 8 for 10 from beyond the arc on his way to 29 points. Now that Mater Academy Charter knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.