Basketball Recap: Aaliyah Voss' Big Game Can't Quite Lead Smoky Mountain over Tuscola

Smoky Mountain was the 65-41 winner over Tuscola when they last played one another back in February of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Smoky Mountain Mustangs fell 66-55 to the Tuscola Mountaineers on Tuesday.

Smoky Mountain lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Aaliyah Voss, who went 6 for 14 on her way to 15 points and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Braelyn Mulligan, who went 5 of 12 en route to 11 points.

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Previous 1 Games

01/14/25 - Away

55-66 L

Even though they lost, Smoky Mountain smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive boards in three consecutive games.

Tuscola got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Nora Jenkins out in front who went 11 for 24 on her way to 30 points and eight boards. The dominant performance gave Jenkins a new career-high in points. Vesper Forbes was another key player, dropping a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds.

Smoky Mountain dropped their record down to 3-11 with the loss, which was their fifth straight on the road. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.8 points per game. As for Tuscola, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a massive bump to their 7-6 record this season.

Smoky Mountain has already played their next matchup, a 56-40 defeat against Franklin on the 15th. As for Tuscola, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 51-36 loss against West Henderson on the 17th.