After flying high against the Collegiate Cougars last Tuesday, the Steward Spartans came back down to earth. Steward took a hard 60-46 fall against Cocke County on Wednesday. Steward found out winning isn't easy when you don't work as a unit and rack up seven fewer assists than your opponent.
When it comes to explaining why Steward lost, one person who can't be blamed is Ava Johnson. Despite the final result, she scored 16 points along with eight rebounds and four steals. Johnson continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last four games she's played. Sanai Green was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with seven rebounds.
Even though they lost, Steward were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 21 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Cocke County was led to victory by Halle Kitchen and Adisen Mcnealy. Kitchen scored 14 points along with seven assists, while Mcnealy scored 21 points. The game was Kitchen's fourth in a row with at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Karmine Carmichael, who scored six points along with seven rebounds and three steals.
Steward has fallen quite a ways from their 23-10 record last season and are now at 2-6. As for Cocke County, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 11-5.
Steward won't have much time to rest: their next match is against Morristown-Hamblen West at 12:00 p.m. on December 28, 2023. Morristown-Hamblen West is coming into the matchup on a four-game losing streak. Cocke County won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Jackson South Side at 4:30 p.m. on December 28, 2023. Hopefully Jackson South Side focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up 15 on Wednesday.
