Basketball Game Preview: Smoky Mountain Mustangs vs. Enka Jets

The Smoky Mountain Mustangs will head out to take on the Enka Jets at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Smoky Mountain knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 55 points or more in their past seven contests -- so hopefully Enka likes a good challenge.

Smoky Mountain is likely headed into the matchup with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Pisgah on Friday. Smoky Mountain took an 87-76 hit to the loss column at the hands of Pisgah. The Mustangs have struggled against the Bears recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Custer Prenger, who went 10 for 21 on his way to 25 points and eight rebounds. His evening made it seven games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ace Prenger, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten assists.

Meanwhile, Enka was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were three points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 69-66 heartbreaker at the hands of Erwin. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Jets have suffered since February 15th.

Enka's defeat dropped their record down to 5-5. As for Smoky Mountain, their loss dropped their record down to 5-2.

Smoky Mountain took a serious blow against Enka in their previous matchup back in December of 2021, falling 88-48. Thankfully for Smoky Mountain, Ian Clinkscales-King (who went 10 of 13 on his way to 24 points and eight rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.