Basketball Game Preview: Sotomayor Wolves vs. Marquez Gladiators

The Sotomayor Wolves will square off against the Marquez Gladiators at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Sotomayor sitting on three straight victories and Marquez on five.

If Sotomayor beats Marquez with 41 points on Monday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. Sotomayor took their contest on Friday with ease, bagging a 41-14 win over Torres. The Wolves have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four games by 23 points or more this season.

Sotomayor got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Destiny Velasco out in front who posted 13 points in addition to six boards and four steals. Velasco is crushing it when it comes to steals: she's grabbed at least three every time she's taken the court this season. Ashley Castillo was another key player, putting up 11 points and four steals.

Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Marquez against Maywood Academy on Friday as the squad secured a 53-25 win.

Sotomayor better keep an eye on Corshell Vaughn. She was instrumental in Marquez's win, dropping a double-double on 18 points and 22 rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Magaly Gonzalez, who put up nine points along with eight boards and four steals.

Marquez smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 19 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in five consecutive matches.

Marquez has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 29.9 points per game. As for Sotomayor, their victory ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 6-4.

Sotomayor was taken down by Marquez 51-19 in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Vaughn, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 26 rebounds. Now that Sotomayor knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.