The Harding County Ranchers pushed their score all the way to 56 on Saturday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They took a 67-56 hit to the loss column at the hands of Timber Lake. Harding County was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Panthers apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in December of 2023.
Despite the loss, Harding County saw an underclassman step up: Cohen Smith scored 19 points along with seven rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Smith has scored all season. Payton Dvorak was another key contributor, scoring 11 points along with five steals.
Harding County has not been sharp recently as the team's lost seven of their last eight games, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-9 record this season. As for Timber Lake, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season.
Harding County will look to defend their home court on Thursday against the Thunderhawks at 8:00 p.m. As for Timber Lake, they will head out on the road to face off against the Braves at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
