Basketball Recap: Cherry Creek Falls Despite Big Games from Dylan Betts and Jeremiah Hammond

Cherry Creek was the 65-64 winner over Smoky Hill when they last played one another back in February of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Cherry Creek Bruins lost to the Smoky Hill Buffaloes at home by a 69-55 margin on Wednesday. While losing is never fun, the Bruins can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 88th, while the Buffaloes are ranked 24th).

Jeremiah Hammond and Dylan Betts certainly did their best on Wednesday to avoid the loss. Hammond went 9 for 22 on his way to 21 points, while Betts dropped a double-double on 14 points and 12 rebounds. That was a full 38.2% of Cherry Creek's points, marking the third time in a row he's posted more than a third of the team's points. Montae Johnson was another key player, putting up four points and seven boards.

Bruins

Offensive Rebounds

02/15/24 vs Grandview	19
01/22/25 vs Smoky Hill	18
12/16/23 vs Mountain Vista	15
01/07/25 vs Vista PEAK Prep	14
12/04/24 vs Legend	14

Even though they lost, Cherry Creek smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in February of 2024.

Smoky Hill's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Carter Basquez led the charge by earning 19 points along with seven rebounds and five assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Lorenzo Contreras, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 assists.

Cherry Creek's defeat was their fifth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 5-8. As for Smoky Hill, the win got them back to even at 7-7.

Cherry Creek has already played their next game, a 61-50 loss against Overland on the 25th. As for Smoky Hill, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next match, a 70-50 defeat against Eaglecrest on the 25th.