Basketball Game Preview: Dawson Bulldogs vs. Italy Gladiators

The Dawson Bulldogs will face off against the Italy Gladiators at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Last Friday, Dawson blew past Hubbard, posting a 36-2 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bulldogs.

Azarei Young and Joselynn Wilson were among the main playmakers for Dawson as the former posted eight points in addition to six steals and five rebounds and the latter put up 11 points and four steals. The dominant performance gave Young a new career-high in steals. Another player making a difference was Malaina Bryan, who had four points and seven steals.

Meanwhile, Italy hadn't done well against Kerens recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Saturday. Italy came out on top against Kerens by a score of 42-33.

Dawson better keep an eye on Camdyn Owen. She was instrumental in Italy's win, dropping a double-double on 11 points and 13 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Landry Janek, who posted four points in addition to seven boards and five assists.

Italy smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 31 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in six consecutive games.

Italy has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 25.0 points per game. As for Dawson, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 6-6.

Dawson came up short against Italy in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, falling 42-30. Will Dawson have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.