Having just played yesterday, the Montgomery Aztecs will get right back to it and host the Central Spartans at 3:30 p.m. on December 28th. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Montgomery was fully in charge, breezing past Mar Vista 68-19 at home. That 68-19 margin sets a new team best for Montgomery this season.
Montgomery can attribute much of their success to Paula Zumstein, who scored 13 points along with seven rebounds and four steals, and Jordan Whitehead, who scored 20 points along with five steals. The contest was Zumstein's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Genevieve Whitehead was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with three steals.
Meanwhile, Central scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Wednesday. Couldn't have asked for a better way to wrap up 2023 than the 70-34 stomp they got on the road against San Ysidro. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest win Central has managed all season.
Central got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Janelle Thomas out in front who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 12 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Thomas scored 15 or more points. The team also got some help courtesy of Victoria Zamora, who scored 14 points.
Montgomery's victory bumped their record up to 6-8. As for Central, the victory makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 4-6.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Montgomery have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 21.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 29.2 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Everything went Montgomery's way against Central when the teams last played back in December of 2019 as Montgomery made off with a 49-28 victory. Will Montgomery repeat their success, or does Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
