This season hasn't been kind to the Smoky Mountain Mustangs, who are still winless after their sixth game. They took a 63-57 hit to the loss column at the hands of Robbinsville. While losing is never fun, Smoky Mountain can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 591st, while Robbinsville is ranked 232nd).
When it comes to explaining why Smoky Mountain lost on Thursday, one person who can't be blamed is Ben Brown. Despite the final result, he scored 25 points along with six rebounds. Brown set a new season high mark in points with 25. Cameron Fowler was another key contributor, scoring four points along with eight assists and five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Smoky Mountain were working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Smoky Mountain bumped their record down to 0-6 with that loss, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 61.9 points per game. As for Robbinsville, the win makes it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 2-0.
Smoky Mountain will be playing in front of their home fans against Swain County at 8:00 p.m. on Monday. Swain County has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 274 points over their last four contests. Robbinsville won't have much time to rest: their next contest is against Highlands at 8:00 p.m. on December 8th.
