Basketball Recap: Smoky Mountain Comes Up Short

Smoky Mountain was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They lost to the Pisgah Bears on the road by a 89-71 margin. Sadly, that's the second time they've come up short against the Mustangs this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 87-76 back in December of 2024.

Despite the defeat, Smoky Mountain saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Ace Prenger posted 23 points and six assists. Another player making a difference was Lane Plemmons, who went 5 of 10 en route to 14 points.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Pisgah to victory, but perhaps none more so than Dominick Messer, who earned 16 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Andrew Hardin also deserves some recognition as he grabbed his first steal of the season.

Smoky Mountain now has a losing record at 8-9. As for Pisgah, their win bumped their record up to 7-10.

Smoky Mountain didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, an 80-17 victory against Rosman on the 22nd. Pisgah has also already played their next game, a 75-62 loss against Franklin on the 28th.