The Smoky Valley Vikings kicked off their season on the road on Friday and hit a couple of potholes. They took a serious blow against Abilene, falling 79-42. Smoky Valley lost against Abilene in their previous head to head back in December of 2022, too, but the margin this time around was much wider than the 73-52 score last time.
Smoky Valley's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Ki Blanchat, who scored 22 points. Taylor Campbell was another key contributor, scoring 16 points.
Smoky Valley's loss dropped their record down to 0-1. As for Abilene, their win bumped their record up to 1-0.
Smoky Valley will be playing in front of their home fans against Southeast of Saline at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Southeast of Saline focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 16 on Friday. As for Abilene, they will head out on the road to face off against Rock Creek on Tuesday. Rock Creek and Abilene are at an even 5-5 over their past ten head-to-heads.