Basketball Preview: Cherokee Braves vs. Swain County Maroon Devils
The Cherokee Braves will be playing in front of their home fans against the Swain County Maroon Devils at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Cherokee knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past eight contests -- so hopefully the Maroon Devils like a good challenge.
Even though Cherokee has not done well against the Yellowjackets recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Cherokee blew past the Yellowjackets 85-63. Having run the score up that high, both teams might be doing some extra defensive drills very soon.
Cherokee's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Luke Smith led the charge by scoring 22 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Smith has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Lineberry, who scored 20 points.
Meanwhile, Swain County entered their tilt with the Bulldogs with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. Swain County walked away with a 51-44 victory over the Bulldogs on Friday.
Cherokee has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 11-7 record this season. As for Swain County, their win bumped their record up to 15-5.
Cherokee beat the Maroon Devils 85-73 when the teams last played back in January. Does Cherokee have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Maroon Devils turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
