Basketball Recap: Smoky Valley Takes Loss Despite Strong Efforts from Kristian Ryan and Ty Heitschmidt

Smoky Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their eighth straight defeat dating back to last season. They lost 56-35 to the Hesston Swathers. The Vikings were not able to make up for their loss to the Swathers from their previous meeting back in February.

Despite the defeat, Smoky Valley had strong showings from Ty Heitschmidt, who went 8 of 14 on his way to 18 points, and Kristian Ryan, who posted 11 points. The dominant performance gave Heitschmidt a new career-high in points.

Smoky Valley's loss dropped their record down to 0-3. As for Hesston, the victory keeps them at an undefeated 4-0.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Smoky Valley and Halstead will compete for holiday cheer at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Halstead's favor is that they have posted at least 55 points in their last three matches. After both having extra time off, Hesston and Wamego will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 3:00 p.m. on January 4, 2025.