Basketball Game Preview: Smith County Owls vs. Cannon County Lions

Smith County and Cannon County are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2020, but not for long. The two teams will compete for holiday cheer at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Smith County has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with six straight losses, while Cannon County will come in with seven straight wins.

Smith County is headed into the game having just suffered their biggest defeat since November 25, 2023 on Tuesday. They were outmatched by Beech and fell 69-34. While losing is never fun, the Owls can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 314th, while the Buccaneers are ranked 102nd).

Meanwhile, Cannon County made easy work of Central Magnet on Saturday and carried off a 62-42 victory. The Lions have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four contests by 20 points or more this season.

Cannon County's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-3. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 67.4 points per game. As for Smith County, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.

Smith County came up short against Cannon County when the teams last played back in January, falling 47-43. Can Smith County avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.