The Sotomayor Wolves will challenge the Marquez Gladiators at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, Sotomayor turned things around against Torres on Monday. They blew past the Toros 80-31. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 40-16.
| 01/06/25 @ Torres | 3 |
| 12/21/24 vs Bassett | 4 |
| 12/19/24 vs Garfield | 2 |
Sotomayor's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Bryan Hernandez, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and ten rebounds. Hernandez has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Jorge Penaloza, who went 9 of 17 en route to 19 points.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Marquez). They simply couldn't be stopped on Monday as they easily beat Maywood Academy 73-32. With that win, the Gladiators brought their scoring average up to 50.8 points per game.
Marquez found their leader in sophomore Elyjah Staples, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 15 rebounds. With that strong performance, Staples is now averaging an impressive 15.3 points per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Diego Velasquez, who posted 11 points and five assists.
Marquez is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 5-8-1 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.3 points per game. As for Sotomayor, their victory ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 7-10.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Sotomayor has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 27.4 boards per game. However, it's not like Marquez struggles in that department as they've been averaging 31.5 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Sotomayor came up short against Marquez in their previous matchup back in January of 2024, falling 63-59. Will Sotomayor have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
