Basketball Recap: Cleveland Drops Season-High Score on Howard Tech

Blue Raiders

Margin (Wins)

02/28/25 vs Howard Tech	70
02/24/25 vs Rhea County	53
02/01/25 vs Baylor	42
02/07/25 @ McMinn County	41
01/31/25 vs Walker Valley	37

Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Cleveland). They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat the Howard Tech Hustlin' Tigers 81-11. The Blue Raiders have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 15 matches by 21 points or more this season.

Cleveland got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Lauren Hurst out in front who shot 67% from the field to rack up 18 points in addition to six assists and three steals. That's the most assists Hurst has posted since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Emma Smith, who went 8-for-11 on her way to 20 points.

Hurst wasn't the only one working in the assist department: Cleveland was working as a unit and finished the game with 23 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.

The victory (which was Cleveland's fourth in a row) raised their record to 23-7. The wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 24.3 points on average over those games. As for Howard Tech, they are on a 19-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-14.

Looking ahead, Cleveland will be playing in front of their home fans against Ooltewah at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Cleveland will be up against Ooltewah's rather soft defense (which has allowed 51.97 points per game), so fans could be in store for a big offensive performance. Howard Tech does not have any more games scheduled as of now.