Basketball Recap: Carter Basquez Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Cherokee Trail

Smoky Hill was handed a 20-point defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Wednesday. They had just enough and edged the Cherokee Trail Cougars out 58-56. That result was just more of the same for these two, as the Buffaloes also won the last time the pair played back in January of 2024.

Smoky Hill got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Carter Basquez out in front who posted 16 points along with six boards and five assists. The match was Basquez's third in a row with at least ten points. Kaylan Graham was another key player, putting up 12 points in addition to five assists and five rebounds.

Cherokee Trail lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Jake Scott, who put up 12 points along with five boards and four steals. Those four steals gave Scott a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Mitchell, who scored 13 points and four steals.

Smoky Hill's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-8. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.0 points per game. As for Cherokee Trail, their loss dropped their record down to 8-8.

Smoky Hill didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 78-48 win against Mullen on the 31st. As for Cherokee Trail, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next game, a 66-45 defeat against Cherry Creek on the 31st.