Smith Center was the 46-44 winner over Russell when they last played one another back in February of 2024, but their luck changed this time around. The Smith Center Redmen took a hard 63-48 fall against the Russell Broncos on Tuesday. While the Redmen didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Broncos 11-5 in the first quarter.
Smith Center's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Daveyon Orr, who posted 12 points. Kyler Elliott also deserves some recognition as he posted his first block of the season.
Russell got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ayden Wagner out in front who went 6 for 10 on his way to 15 points and seven boards. That's the most rebounds Wagner has posted since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Sam Thielen, who went 5 of 8 en route to 13 points and four steals.
Redmen
| 01/14/25 vs Russell | 48-63 |
| 01/10/25 @ Ellis | 57-45 |
| 12/20/24 @ Oakley | 49-48 |
| 12/17/24 vs Washington County | 65-53 |
| 12/14/24 vs Sylvan-Lucas | 40-44 |
Smith Center moved to 3-5 with that defeat, which also ended their three-game winning streak. As for Russell, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 4-4.
Smith Center will take on Oakley at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. As for Russell, they will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Hoxie at 7:00 p.m. on January 28th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
