Basketball Game Preview: Hialeah Thoroughbreds vs. Hialeah Gardens Gladiators

Hialeah and Hialeah Gardens are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2019, but not for long. The Hialeah Thoroughbreds will face off against the Hialeah Gardens Gladiators at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Hialeah is coming into the match on a three-game losing streak.

Last Tuesday, Hialeah had to suffer through a 90-49 loss at the hands of Central. While losing is never fun, the Thoroughbreds can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 384th, while the Rockets are ranked 29th).

Meanwhile, even if it wasn't a dominant performance, Hialeah Gardens beat Killian 40-35 on Thursday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Gladiators.

Hialeah Gardens' win came from a few key players Hialeah will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Ray Hernandez Jr, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 16 boards. Hernandez Jr is crushing it when it comes to rebounds: he's pulled down at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Sean Leon was another key player, putting up 12 points.

Hialeah Gardens smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 24 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 20 consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Hialeah Gardens' victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-6. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.3 points per game. As for Hialeah, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-5.

Hialeah strolled past Hialeah Gardens in their previous matchup back in December of 2024 by a score of 69-52. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hialeah since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.