The Tuscola Mountaineers's 23-game losing streak came to an end on Wednesday. They snuck past Smoky Mountain with a 62-58 victory. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest win Tuscola has managed all season.
Tuscola was led to victory by Jeremy Horton and Jed West. Horton almost dropped a triple-double on 11 points, 13 rebounds, and nine blocks, while West dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds. That's the first time this season that West pulled down eight or more rebounds. Peyton Ollis was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six rebounds and three steals.
Despite the defeat, Smoky Mountain saw an underclassman step up: Custer Prenger dropped a double-double on 18 points and 14 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Ace Prenger, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Even though they lost, Smoky Mountain smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. This was only their tenth loss (out of 14 games) when they hit their own glass that hard.
Tuscola's win ended a 13-game drought on the road and puts them at 1-12. As for Smoky Mountain, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 4-13.
Tuscola will be playing in front of their home fans against West Henderson at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday. West Henderson is coming into the contest hot, having won their last five games. As for Smoky Mountain, they will head out on the road to challenge East Henderson at 8:00 p.m. on Monday. The timing is sure in East Henderson's favor as the team sits on six straight wins at home while Smoky Mountain has been banged up by 12 consecutive losses on the road.
