The Palmyra Panthers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Tuesday after their fifth straight loss. They suffered a tough 58-32 defeat at the hands of Conestoga. While losing is never fun, Palmyra can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Nebraska basketball rankings (they are ranked 212th, while Conestoga is ranked 45th).
Despite the loss, Palmyra had strong showings from Drew Erhart, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds and five steals, and Gou Kamishita, who scored 12 points along with two steals. That was a full 37.5% of Palmyra's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points.
Palmyra struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. They are winless (0-3) when they just don't pass the ball.
Conestoga got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Noah Simones out in front who scored 22 points. Another player making a difference was Zachariah Smith, who scored 12 points along with eight rebounds and four blocks.
Palmyra bumped their record down to 1-10 with that defeat, which was their sixth straight on the road. As for Conestoga, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 9-1.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Palmyra will take on Yutan at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. As for Conestoga, they will look to defend their home court on Thursday against Falls City at 7:30 p.m. Falls City is coming into the match on a three-game losing streak.
