The Litchfield Purple Panthers's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Monday after their ninth straight defeat. They fell 32-24 to Southwestern. Litchfield was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Southwestern apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in February of 2023.
Several Purple Panthers players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Emma Diveley, who scored ten points along with four steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Daphney Hartel, who scored six points along with six rebounds.
Even though they lost, Litchfield were working as a unit and finished the game with 12 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Southwestern only posted four assists.
Southwestern got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Vivian Zurheide out in front who scored 12 points along with two blocks. Zurheide has been hot recently, having posted two or more blocks the last three times she's played. Gracie Darr was another key contributor, scoring 11 points.
Litchfield dropped their record down to 3-24 with that loss, which was their 13th straight on the road dating back to last season. As for Southwestern, their win bumped their record up to 12-17.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Litchfield will take on Auburn at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Litchfield comes in on a streak of failing to score more than 25 points in their last four games, a trend the squad is of course eager to reverse. As for Southwestern, they will head out on the road to face off against Staunton at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Hopefully Southwestern focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up nine on Monday.
