The Smoky Mountain Mustangs pushed their score all the way to 59 on Wednesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 71-59 to North Henderson. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Smoky Mountain in their matchups with North Henderson: they've now lost eight in a row.
Smoky Mountain's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lane Wike, who scored 16 points along with three steals. The matchup was Wike's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Ben Brown, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Smoky Mountain were working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Henderson only racked up eight assists.
North Henderson's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Bryson Rowe, who scored 21 points along with seven rebounds. The game was Rowe's seventh in a row with at least ten points. Zion McDaniel was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Smoky Mountain's defeat dropped their record down to 3-10. As for North Henderson, the win (which was their ninth in a row) raised their record to 11-2.
Smoky Mountain's homestand continues as they prepare to take on West Henderson at 8:00 p.m. on January 5th. West Henderson is strutting with some offensive muscle, as they've averaged 62.1 points per game. As for North Henderson, they will head out on the road to face off against Tuscola at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Tuscola comes in still looking for their first win of the season.
