Basketball Game Preview: Lakewood Lancers vs. Marquez Gladiators

The Lakewood Lancers will be taking part in a tournament against the Marquez Gladiators at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Lakewood is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Long Beach Poly just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Thursday. They lost 63-42 to the Jackrabbits. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Lancers have suffered against the Jackrabbits since April 28, 2021.

Meanwhile, Marquez was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their sixth straight loss dating back to last season. They came up short against Blair, falling 68-48.

Lakewood will have to contain Cravon Charles as he made an impact in Marquez's last game. He dropped a double-double on 19 points and 15 boards. Charles continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Elyjah Staples, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and ten boards.

Even though they lost, Marquez smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 17 consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Lakewood's defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 8-6. As for Marquez, their loss dropped their record down to 0-5.