The Nixon-Smiley Mustangs suffered their closest loss yet this season on Friday. They fell just short of Marion by a score of 45-43. Nixon-Smiley has not had much luck with Marion recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Despite the loss, Nixon-Smiley still got an impressive performance from Janaelyn White, who dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten steals. White is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last six games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kendall Amaya, who scored nine points along with two steals.
Even though they lost, Nixon-Smiley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. This was only their 15th loss (out of 21 games) when they hit their own glass that hard.
Nixon-Smiley has traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost nine of their last ten games, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-21 record this season. As for Marion, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-17.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Nixon-Smiley will take on Cole at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Cole will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak. As for Marion, they will look to defend their home court on Tuesday against Great Hearts Northern Oaks at 6:30 p.m. Great Hearts Northern Oaks is coming into the match on a four-game losing streak.
