It's hard to turn regular season success into postseason wins, a fact the West Broward Bobcats can now relate to. They were the victim of a rough 70-49 defeat at the hands of the Gladiators on Thursday. While losing is never fun, West Broward can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 395th, while Hialeah Gardens is ranked 119th).
Despite the defeat, West Broward had strong showings from Amari Gauntlett, who scored 17 points along with eight rebounds, and Matthew Martinez, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Gauntlett has scored all season.
Sebastian Pupo was his usual excellent self, almost dropping a double-double on 23 points and nine assists for Hialeah Gardens. Pupo is trending in the right direction, as he's improved his point production for three games straight. Nick Perez was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with seven rebounds.
West Broward has not been sharp recently as the team has lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-11 record this season. As for Hialeah Gardens, they have been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 17-6 record this season.
West Broward does not have any more games scheduled as of now. Hialeah Gardens' road trip will continue as they head out to face Braddock on February 10th. One thing working in Hialeah Gardens' favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last five matchups.
