It was a split weekend for the Saratoga Lady Panthers as they lost a conference game at home and won a conference game on the road.

On January 16, the Lady Panthers were dealt a more than 30-point loss by the Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) Lady Rattlers. Then, on January 17, successfully clipped the wings of the Fort Washakie Lady Eagles to secure their first conference win of the season.

It was a week of defeat and victory for the Saratoga Panthers as they were narrowly dealt their second conference loss by the Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) Rattlers and secured their first conference win playing against the Fort Washakie Eagles.

Whether it was a second-half comeback by the Encampment Lady Tigers or a struggle to put together all four quarters, what appeared to be a game for the Saratoga Lady Panthers to win became their first conference loss.

“It was a game of two halves,” said Head Coach Logan Wright. “We really came out strong and executed our gameplan. In the end, we are a young team that is growing and learning daily.”

The roar of Panther fans filled the Encampment K-12 School gym on January 11 as the Saratoga Panthers were hosted by the Encampment Tigers for the first conference match between the two Valley teams.

Despite the very vocal support, Saratoga appeared to struggle through most of the game even as they worked on a comeback in the third quarter. Ultimately, the Panthers were just barely dealt their first conference loss of the season.

The Encampment girls basketball team defeated the Saratoga Panthers 41-29 in the Tiger Den this weekend, thanks to a second half comeback by the Tigers.

At half, the Lady Tigers were down 24-18, but managed to tie the game in the third period and outscored their rivals 12 to one in the final period to secure victory.