Saratoga hosts play-in game Monday

Ben Gates hit 100 percent of his attempts from the 3-point line in Saratoga’s loss to Little Snake River Valley on Thursday. Braxton Schwartzkopf followed the effort from the arc hitting 50 percent of his three-point attempts. Gates was the leading scorer doubling for 14 points, followed by John Brennan with 8 points of his own. Daniel Kerbs and Andrew Oiler both were 100 percent from the free throw line. However, the individual efforts were clouded by the final score of 44-76.

The Panthers (7-14), (2-6) traveled for their last conference match against the Burns Broncos (10-9), (3-3) on Saturday. The effort was much improved according to head coach Josh Sandlian.

“Saturday was our best game of the year,” Sandlian said. “When we talked after the game we made sure everyone knew that this was the kind of performance we, as coaches, are looking for and they, as players, are capable of.”

At the end of three quarters, the Panthers were only down by one point and that is the kind of effort Sandlian wanted to see.

The Saratoga team played four quarters of basketball, together as a team, Saturday and at the end of three they were in a battle, right where the coaches wanted them to be.

The Broncos went to the line more than the Panthers, and that ended up being the difference in the game. Saratoga went to the line 23 times and Burns shot 41 free throws.

“We played great defense Saturday,” Sandlian said. “We finally gelled as a team. It took everyone to play the way we did.”

Leading the way for the Panthers were Daniel Kerbs with 9 points and Braxton Schwartzkopf with 8. Schwartzkopf again hit two shots from the arc. John Brennan scored 3 points hitting a shot from 3-point land. Jake Fourman contributed 6 points followed closely by Ben Gates with 5.

Gates rebounded eight times in the game and Kerbs and Fourman both pulled in seven apiece. Kerbs rounded out his good effort with four blocks and sophomore Schwartzkopf blocked two shots.

The Panthers next play their Valley rivals, the Encampment Tigers, on Saturday starting at 4 p.m.

“Encampment is big for us,” Sandlian said. “They are our rivals and have defeated us twice this season.”

Saratoga will then have a play-in game against Southeast on Monday night at the Panther Den. The game goes off at 4 p.m.

A play-in game is two conference teams,with close records, playing to decide who moves on to regionals.

“We hope people come out to support us Monday night,” Sandlian said. “We are looking for one in the W column, and we hope it is in front of a packed gym.”