Basketball Recap: Marquez Triumphs

Marquez lost to Lakeview Charter back in November, but they didn't allow them the same satisfaction on Saturday. The Marquez Gladiators escaped with a win against the Lakeview Charter Lions by the margin of a single free throw, 34-33. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Gladiators.

Marquez had a senior duo take command as Magaly Gonzalez almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds and Corshell Vaughn dropped a double-double on 11 points and 17 boards. Vaughn is on a roll when it comes to boards, as she's now pulled down 12 or more in the last 26 games she's played dating back to last season. Another player making a difference was Samantha Larios, who posted four points and eight rebounds.

Marquez smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in 30 consecutive games dating back to last season.

When it comes to explaining why Lakeview Charter lost, don't look at Evelyn Quinonez. Despite the final result, she earned 21 points and five steals. That was a full 63.6% of Lakeview Charter's points, marking the fourth time in a row she's had more than a third of the team's points.

Marquez has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.8 points per game. As for Lakeview Charter, they moved to 6-4 with that loss, which also ended their three-game winning streak.

After both having extra time off, Marquez and Maywood Academy will shake off the cobwebs and square off against one another at 4:00 p.m. on January 6, 2025. Maywood Academy's defense has only allowed 27.5 points per game this season, so Marquez's offense will have their work cut out for them. As for Lakeview Charter, they will get a bit of extra time to process the defeat as their next game is a ways off. They'll take on Burroughs at 2:00 p.m. on January 2, 2025.