The North Henderson Knights waltzed into their match Wednesday with eight straight wins but they left with nine. They walked away with a 71-59 victory over Smoky Mountain. Given North Henderson's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 112th, while Smoky Mountain is ranked 473rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead North Henderson to victory, but perhaps none more so than Bryson Rowe, who scored 21 points along with seven rebounds. Those 21 points set a new season-high mark for him. Zion McDaniel was another key contributor, scoring 17 points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Smoky Mountain's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lane Wike, who scored 16 points along with three steals. Wike also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Ben Brown, who scored 16 points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Smoky Mountain were working as a unit and finished the game with 16 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Henderson only racked up eight assists.
North Henderson pushed their record up to 11-2 with that victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 69.3 points per game. As for Smoky Mountain, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-10.
North Henderson will head out on the road to face off against Tuscola at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Tuscola is still on the hunt for that elusive first 'W'. As for Smoky Mountain, they will stay at home for another game and welcome West Henderson at 8:00 p.m. on January 5th. Hopefully West Henderson focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 20 last Friday.
