Mourning has been on the road for two straight, but on Wednesday they'll finally head home. They will be home for the holidays to greet the Miami Beach Hi-Tides at 7:30 p.m. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 62-32, which was the final score in Mourning's tilt against Hialeah on Tuesday. While losing is never fun, Mourning can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 658th, while Hialeah is ranked 210th).
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Kristopher Jean-Jacques, who scored 12 points. The match was his third in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Pablo Rivas, who scored seven points.
Mourning struggled to work together and finished the game with only two assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, after a string of four wins, Miami Beach's good fortune finally ran out on Monday. They fell just short of Coral Park by a score of 52-49. Miami Beach has not had much luck with Coral Park recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Miami Beach's defeat came about despite a quality game from Isaiah Lieberperson, who scored 16 points. That's the first time this season that Lieberperson scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Baptiste T, who scored ten points.
Mourning's defeat dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Miami Beach, their defeat ended a ten-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 5-2.
Wednesday's contest is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Mourning have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 32.8 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Miami Beach, though, as they've been averaging only 7.8 rebounds per game. Given Mourning's sizeable advantage in that area, Miami Beach will need to find a way to close that gap.
Mourning lost to Miami Beach at home by a decisive 72-57 margin in their previous meeting back in January of 2021. Will Mourning 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.
