Preview: Hawthorne Cougars vs. Leuzinger Olympians
Hawthorne is 1-8 against the Olympians since January of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Hawthorne Cougars will be playing in front of their home fans against the Leuzinger Olympians at 6:30 p.m. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Hawthorne has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while the Olympians will arrive with nine straight victories.
Hawthorne lost a heartbreaker when they last took the court, but unfortunately for them the defeat they were handed on on Tuesday was a bit more commanding. They took a serious blow against Inglewood, falling 89-33. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Hawthorne in their matchups with the Sentinels: they've now lost seven in a row.
Despite the loss, Hawthorne had strong showings from Alfredo Ramirez, who scored 16 points, and Jakobi Smith, who scored 11 points.
Meanwhile, Leuzinger put the finishing touches on their ninth blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Beverly Hills with a sharp 76-56 victory. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Hawthorne has not been sharp recently as the team's lost seven of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-16 record this season. As for Leuzinger, they pushed their record up to 19-7 with that win, which was their sixth straight at home.
Hawthorne was dealt a bruising 83-34 loss at the hands of the Olympians in their previous matchup back in January. Will Hawthorne have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
