Basketball Recap: Johans Richards Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Hialeah Gardens

Dr. Krop posted their closest victory since January 23rd on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 56-53 win over the Hialeah Gardens Gladiators. For the Lightning, this counts as revenge for the 62-47 victory the Gladiators walked away with the last time they faced one another back in November of 2023.

Dr. Krop's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Johans Richards led the charge by dropping a double-double on 21 points and 17 boards. The dominant performance gave Richards a new career-high in boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Darin Oden, who went 7 of 13 on his way to 17 points.

Several Gladiators players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Ray Hernandez Jr, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. Hernandez Jr is crushing it when it comes to boards: he's pulled down at least eight every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Sean Leon, who posted eight points in addition to five assists and four steals.

Dr. Krop moved to 2-5 with that win, which also ended their three-game losing streak. As for Hialeah Gardens, their record now sits at 1-4.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Dr. Krop will take on North Miami Beach at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Dr. Krop has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games. As for Hialeah Gardens, they will be defending their home court for the first time this season when they go up against West Broward at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hialeah Gardens is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 50.6 points per game this season.