The Antonito Trojans's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Hanover Hornets at 11:00 a.m. on December 16th. Antonito has been getting the ball to fall more lately as they've increased their point totals each of their last three games.
Last Friday, Antonito suffered a rough 55-35 loss at the hands of Cotopaxi. Antonito has struggled against Cotopaxi recently, as their matchup on Friday was their eighth consecutive lost matchup.
Antonito's defeat came about despite a quality game from Jasiah Jiron, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds. That's the first time this season that Jiron scored 15 or more points. Another player making a difference was Octavian Martinez, who scored nine points.
Meanwhile, Hanover's three-game losing streak came to an end on Tuesday. They breezed by Deer Trail on the road to the tune of 62-23. That looming 62-23 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Hanover yet this season.
Hanover can attribute much of their success to Junior Diaz, who dropped a double-double on 16 points and ten steals, and Tyler Decker, who scored 24 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. That makes it four consecutive games in which Decker has scored at least 25% of Hanover's points. Alexis Moreno was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with three steals.
Antonito bumped their record down to 0-4 with that defeat, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Hanover, their win ended a three-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 1-3.
Saturday's match is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Antonito have been smashing the glass this season, having only averaged 31.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Hanover struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 29.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Antonito took a serious blow against Hanover when the teams last played back in February, falling 58-25. Thankfully for Antonito, Ronquez Ackerson (who dropped a double-double on 26 points and 14 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
