After flying high against Chattanooga Christian last Tuesday, Cleveland came back down to earth. The Cleveland Blue Raiders took a 71-61 hit to the loss column at the hands of the McMinn County Cherokees on Friday. The Blue Raiders were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Cherokees apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in January of 2024.
Cleveland's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Antonio Westfield, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 rebounds. Another player making a difference was Baraka Ndegwa, who posted 14 points.
Cleveland has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 9-6 record this season. As for McMinn County, their victory ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 10-8.
Cleveland wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 73-66 win against Howard Tech on the 21st. McMinn County has also already played their next contest (against Meigs County), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
