Ozanam will be playing in front of their home fans against the Guadalupe Centers Aztecs at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Ozanam and eight for the Aztecs.
Last Tuesday, Ozanam came up short against the Mustangs and fell 44-34.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Zaireion Nicholson, who scored five points along with 12 rebounds and two steals. Skylar Horn was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Guadalupe Centers struggled with threes last Wednesday (the Rams had six more) and sadly the final score reflected it. Guadalupe Centers took a serious blow against the Rams, falling 63-31.
Like Guadalupe Centers, they lost despite seeing results from several players. Junior Ibarra led the charge by scoring six points. The team also got some help courtesy of Christian Gonzalez Mendoza, who scored six points.
Ozanam's defeat dropped their record down to 6-10. As for Guadalupe Centers, they dropped their record down to 1-9 with that loss, which was their third straight at home.
Thursday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Ozanam have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 40.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Guadalupe Centers, though, as they've been averaging only 11 rebounds per game. Given Ozanam's sizable advantage in that area, the Aztecs will need to find a way to close that gap.
Everything came up roses for Ozanam against the Aztecs in their previous meeting back in January of 2023 as the squad secured a 66-38 win. With Ozanam ahead 33-11 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
