The Smyrna Bulldogs will be playing at home against the Cookeville Cavaliers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Smyrna has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while the Cavaliers will arrive with 11 straight victories.
Last Friday, Smyrna was the victim of a rough 62-39 loss at the hands of the Wildcats.
Despite their defeat, Smyrna saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Syrus Satterwhite, who scored seven points along with ten rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. It was the first time this season that Satterwhite pulled down eight or more rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jalylle Batey-roberts, who scored 13 points.
In what's become a running theme this season, Cookeville gave their fans yet another huge victory on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Lebanon 80-44 at home. Given Cookeville's advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee basketball rankings (they are ranked 11th, while the Blue Devils are ranked 163rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Smyrna has not been sharp recently as the team's lost eight of their last nine matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-16 record this season. As for Cookeville, they pushed their record up to 22-3 with that victory, which was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season.
Smyrna was dealt a bruising 70-31 defeat at the hands of the Cavaliers in their previous meeting back in January. The game was all but decided by halftime, at which point Smyrna was down 50-12.
