Basketball Game Preview: Smoky Hill Buffaloes vs. Cherry Creek Bruins

The Smoky Hill Buffaloes will venture away from home to take on the Cherry Creek Bruins at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

Last Friday, Smoky Hill came up short against Ralston Valley and fell 63-53. While losing is never fun, the Buffaloes can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 30th, while the Mustangs are ranked first).

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cherry Creek). They secured an 82-78 W over Rock Canyon on Wednesday. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Bruins as it put an end to their six-game losing streak.

Smoky Hill better keep an eye on Jeremiah Hammond. He was instrumental in Cherry Creek's win, going 13 for 22 on his way to 36 points and six boards. Those 36 points gave Hammond a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Dylan Betts, who almost dropped a double-double on 11 points and nine rebounds.

Cherry Creek was working as a unit and finished the game with 15 assists. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their assist total in three consecutive matchups.

Cherry Creek's record is now 5-7. As for Smoky Hill, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-7 record this season.

Smoky Hill and Cherry Creek were neck-and-neck in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, but Smoky Hill came up empty-handed after a 65-64 loss. Can Smoky Hill avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.