The Hanover Hornets are taking a road trip to square off against the Swallows Charter Academy Spartans at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
While Hanover didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They claimed a resounding 57-11 victory over Cripple Creek-Victor. The Hornets have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 28 points or more this season.
It was another big night for Tyler Decker, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds. Another player making a difference was Junior Diaz, who posted nine points and five steals.
Hanover smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least nine offensive boards in 11 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Swallows Charter Academy came tearing into Tuesday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 40.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Lions by a score of 63-54.
Hanover better focus on containing Christian Garcia and Mike Vazquez as the pair were huge in Swallows Charter Academy's win. Garcia dropped a double-double on 18 points and 11 boards, while Vazquez dropped a double-double on 13 points and 13 rebounds. That's the most points Garcia has posted since back in January of 2024. Karson Kleven was another key player, putting up nine points and three steals.
Swallows Charter Academy is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 58.0 points per game. As for Hanover, their win bumped their record up to 7-3.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Hanover has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 34.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Swallows Charter Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 37.5 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Hanover was dealt a bruising 72-20 loss at the hands of Swallows Charter Academy in their previous matchup back in January of 2018. Can Hanover avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
