Basketball Game Preview: Elizabeth Bulldogs vs. Maywood Academy Nighthawks

The Elizabeth Bulldogs will venture away from home to challenge the Maywood Academy Nighthawks at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Elizabeth has five straight victories, Maywood Academy has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

While Elizabeth didn't have the best season last year (they finished 4-8), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They simply couldn't be stopped on Monday as they easily beat Maywood CES 65-28. The Bulldogs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 37 points or more this season.

Elizabeth's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Lester Martinez, who posted 24 points. Martinez's afternoon made it 12 games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Aldo Tellez was another key player, putting up 16 points.

Meanwhile, Maywood Academy played a tough game on Monday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 73-32 loss at the hands of Marquez. The Nighthawks were down 55-28 at the end of the third quarter, and things only got worse from there.

Elizabeth's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.3 points per game. As for Maywood Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-8.

Elizabeth came out on top in a nail-biter against Maywood Academy in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, sneaking past 64-61. The rematch might be a little tougher for Elizabeth since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.