Basketball Game Preview: Marquez Gladiators vs. Sotomayor Wolves

The Marquez Gladiators will take on the Sotomayor Wolves at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Marquez sitting on five straight wins and Sotomayor on three.

Last Friday, Marquez humbled Maywood Academy with a 53-25 victory.

Corshell Vaughn was her usual excellent self, dropping a double-double on 18 points and 22 boards. She has been hot for a while, having posted 11 or more rebounds the last 33 times she's played. Magaly Gonzalez was another key player, putting up nine points in addition to eight boards and four steals.

Marquez smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in five consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Sotomayor won against Maywood Academy on Wednesday with 41 points and they decided to stick to that point total again on Friday. Sotomayor really took it to Torres for the full four quarters, racking up a 41-14 victory. The Wolves have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 23 points or more this season.

Sotomayor's win came from a few key players Marquez will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Destiny Velasco, who posted 13 points along with six rebounds and four steals. Another player making a difference was Ashley Castillo, who earned 11 points and four steals.

Marquez has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.9 points per game. As for Sotomayor, their win ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 6-4.

Everything came up roses for Marquez against Sotomayor in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, as the team secured a 51-19 victory. Does Marquez have another victory up their sleeve, or will Sotomayor turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.