The Cherokee Trail Cougars's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their third straight defeat. They might be feeling deja-vu: they lost 65-50 to Eaglecrest, which was the same score (and result) they got the week prior. While losing is never fun, Cherokee Trail can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 81st, while Eaglecrest is ranked eighth).
Despite the loss, Cherokee Trail had strong showings from Alonzo Rodgers, who scored 15 points, and Nathan Baack, who scored 12 points along with six rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Naode Ghide, who scored four points along with five rebounds and two steals.
Ladavian King was his usual excellent self, scoring 22 points along with six rebounds for Eaglecrest. Another player making a difference was La'quince York, who scored ten points.
Cherokee Trail has not been sharp recently as the team has lost five of their last six matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-14 record this season. As for Eaglecrest, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 15-5 record this season.
Cherokee Trail's road trip will continue as they head out to face Mullen at 7:00 p.m. on February 15th. Cherokee Trail and Mullen are at an even 5-5 over their past ten head-to-heads. As for Eaglecrest, they will play host again and welcome Smoky Hill, where tip off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Hopefully Eaglecrest focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up nine on Friday.
