Recap: Southwestern Piasa Birds vs. Jersey Panthers
It was a good run, but the Southwestern Piasa Birds unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell to Jersey 48-44. Southwestern was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Jersey apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in November of 2023.
When it comes to explaining why Southwestern lost, one person who can't be blamed is Ian Brantley. Despite the final result, he scored 20 points along with eight rebounds and two blocks. That was a full 45.5% of Southwestern's points, marking the sixth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Rocky Darr, who scored 11 points.
Jersey got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Jaxon Brunaugh out in front who dropped a double-double on 23 points and ten rebounds. Francis Vogel was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
Southwestern's defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-7. As for Jersey, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 8-11.
Southwestern will be playing in front of their home fans against Metro-East Lutheran at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Jersey's road trip will continue as they head out to face Civic Memorial at 7:30 p.m. on January 12th. Civic Memorial is out to stop a four-game streak of losses at home.
