Smethport has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will face off against the Cameron County Raiders at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
While it was all tied up 21-21 at halftime, Smethport was not quite Port Allegany's equal in the second half last Thursday. Smethport took a 47-37 hit to the loss column at the hands of Port Allegany. While losing is never fun, Smethport can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 411th, while Port Allegany is ranked 176th).
Despite the loss, Smethport saw an underclassman step up: Payton Neff scored 17 points along with five rebounds. Neff continues to roll, besting her previous point total in each of the last three games she's played. Ava Gifford was another key contributor, scoring nine points.
Meanwhile, Cameron County also suffered a loss in their last game, but this one to Otto-Eldred by a score of 41-28. Cameron County has struggled against Otto-Eldred recently, as their game on Friday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Despite their defeat, Cameron County saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Elsie Bresslin, who scored six points along with eight rebounds, was perhaps the best of all. Those eight rebounds set a new season-high mark for her. The team also got some help courtesy of Trinity Earle, who scored four points along with seven rebounds.
Smethport's record is now 1-4. As for Cameron County, they bumped their record down to 1-3 with that loss, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Monday's matchup: Smethport have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having only averaged 4 threes per game. It's a different story for Cameron County, though, as they've been averaging only 2.5 threes per game. Given Smethport's sizeable advantage in that area, Cameron County will need to find a way to close that gap.
Smethport came up short against Cameron County when the teams last played back in January, falling 43-31. Can Smethport avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
