The Nixon-Smiley Mustangs suffered their closest defeat yet this season on Friday. They fell just short of Marion by a score of 45-43. Nixon-Smiley has not had much luck with Marion recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
When it comes to explaining why Nixon-Smiley lost, one person who can't be blamed is Janaelyn White. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten steals. White is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed two or more in the last six games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kendall Amaya, who scored nine points along with two steals.
Even though they lost, Nixon-Smiley smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. This was only their 15th loss (out of 21 games) when they hit their own glass that hard.
Leading Marion to victory were Breelon Allen and Brianna Hunter. Allen dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds, while Hunter scored 14 points along with four steals. Allen is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in the last five games she's played.
Nixon-Smiley has not been sharp recently, as they've lost nine of their last ten contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-21 record this season. As for Marion, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 6-18.
Nixon-Smiley will be playing at home against Cole at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Cole is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games. As for Marion, they will head out on the road to face off against Luling at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
