The Smoky Hill Buffaloes had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 27.3 points), and they went ahead and made it four on Saturday. They strolled past Pueblo South with points to spare, taking the game 73-57. Given Smoky Hill's advantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked fifth, while Pueblo South is ranked 96th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Smoky Hill to victory, but perhaps none more so than Kevin Sylla, who scored 24 points along with seven rebounds. Carter Basquez was another key contributor, scoring 18 points along with six rebounds and five assists.
When it comes to explaining why Pueblo South lost, one person who can't be blamed is Maurice Austin. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 28 points and ten rebounds. That was a full 49.1% of Pueblo South's points, marking the 11th time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. Another player making a difference was Sergio Salazar, who scored eight points along with six rebounds and six steals.
Smoky Hill's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-3. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 72.0 points per game. As for Pueblo South, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost six of their last eight matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-7 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Smoky Hill will challenge Eaglecrest at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Hopefully Eaglecrest focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 12 last Saturday. As for Pueblo South, they will head out on the road to face off against Pueblo East at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Pueblo East is coming into the match on a three-game losing streak.
