Basketball Recap: Kj Smith Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Gaither

Wiregrass Ranch won the last time they faced Gaither and things went their way on Friday too. The Wiregrass Ranch Bulls managed a 68-64 victory over the Gaither Cowboys. Given the Bulls' advantage in MaxPreps' Florida basketball rankings (they are ranked 76th, while the Cowboys are ranked 257th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Wiregrass Ranch's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kj Smith led the charge by putting up 22 points. The match was Smith's 17th in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyden Wiley, who went 5 of 7 on his way to 14 points in addition to seven boards and four steals.

Gaither's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Daivon Kindred, who posted 14 points. Those 14 points gave Kindred a new career-high. Asiah Perry was another key player, scoring 13 points.

Wiregrass Ranch is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-5 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 80.5 points per game. As for Gaither, they are on a five-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 10-10.

Wiregrass Ranch wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next contest, a 97-92 defeat against Tampa Catholic on the 18th. As for Gaither, they will challenge Hillsborough at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Gaither is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 61 points per game this season.