The Smoky Mountain Mustangs will head out on the road to square off against the Tuscola Mountaineers at 8:00 p.m. on Friday. Smoky Mountain is no doubt hoping to put an end to a 15-game streak of away losses dating back to last season.
Smoky Mountain pushed their score all the way to 67 last Tuesday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 75-67 to West Henderson. While losing is never fun, Smoky Mountain can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 492nd, while West Henderson is ranked 117th).
Smoky Mountain might have lost, but man, Cameron Fowler was a machine: he scored 14 points along with six rebounds and three blocks. Fowler has been hot recently, having posted two or more steals the last five times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Lane Wike, who scored 13 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Tuscola's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fifth straight defeat. They took a 76-63 hit to the loss column at the hands of Pisgah. Tuscola has not had much luck with Pisgah recently, as the team's come up short the last seven times they've met.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Peyton Ollis, who scored 17 points along with six rebounds and two steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points he has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Jed West, who scored 21 points along with three steals and two blocks.
Smoky Mountain has been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-17 record this season. As for Tuscola, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-17.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Smoky Mountain have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.2 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Tuscola struggles in that department as they've been averaging 24.3 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Smoky Mountain came up short against Tuscola when the teams last played back in January, falling 62-58. Can Smoky Mountain avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
