Getting aggressive

The Saratoga Lady Panthers haven't had the easiest season so far. As they progress through each game, it seems they are just beginning to find what works before the other team adapts and is able to run the court. Such was the case on Thursday evening, when the Lady Panthers hosted the Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) Lady Rattlers and appeared, several times, like they might finally get a conference win.

"I thought we had flashes of brilliance where we would do so good sometimes and then we would get right there where we were down 2 (points), tied, whatever and then we would go brain dead for a couple minutes and let them score 8 points," said Heather Bartlett, head coach of the Lady Panthers.

Saratoga would end up falling to the Lady Rattlers by 9 points before hosting the 3A Mountain View Lady Buffaloes on Friday, where they lost by over 40 points.

Lady Panthers vs.

Lady Rattlers

One watching the Lady Panthers host LSRV on Thursday evening might have thought they were watching a completely different team. In previous games, the Saratoga girls often seemed hesitant to get into the fray on defense or go after the tough rebounds. It was a complete reversal as they played LSRV. Many of the girls dove for the ball and, more often than not, were successful in their attempts.

Sophomores Savannah Wells and Tasia Daly were, by far, the most aggressive on the court as they did not hesitate in attempting steals. That aggressiveness paid off as they were leading near the end of the first quarter, before the Lady Rattlers tied it up at 13-13 with just seconds remaining.

If the good defense was where the Lady Panthers were excelling against LSRV, showing the Lady Rattlers that they weren't going to win without a fight, then where they had some trouble was with their passing. Multiple times, the Saratoga girls would attempt a court-length pass that would provide Baggs ample opportunity for a turnover, which they took.

It was in the final quarter that LSRV was able to pull ahead of the Lady Panthers, if ever so slightly. Some of the opportunities that gave Saratoga a chance to catch up to the Lady Rattlers came thanks to senior Shianne Baker. Twice, much to the amusement of the crowd and Bartlett, Baker checked the ball against the back of a player from LSRV before going in for a successful layup.

"That was awesome," said Bartlett. "She did a great job with that and it really gave us a lift both times. It was two great moves on her part that she really deserves a lot of credit for."

Senior Mychaela Jackman led the Panthers against LSRV with a total of 12 points, 3 assists and 4 steals followed by Wells with 7 points and 2 steals. Junior Aubrey Berger scored 7 points and had 4 rebounds, senior Tiffany Bauer scored 6 points and Baker scored 6 points and had 3 rebounds and 2 steals.

The close game that Saratoga played throughout the first three quarters slipped during the fourth quarter and the Lady Rattlers jumped ahead by 9 points, ending the matchup between the conference foes 50-59.

Lady Panthers vs.

Lady Buffaloes

"Mountain View is a 3A team and the girls are one of the best 3A teams in the state," Bartlett said. "We knew this going in and wanted to use the game as a time to learn and work on some different skills, such as more physical defense and being more aggressive taking the ball to the basket."

Berger led the team against the Lady Buffaloes, scoring 11 points and had 6 rebounds and 3 steals. Jackman, Wells and sophomore Katelyn Bifano each scored 4 points against Mountain View.

"The girls did a nice job and played hard the whole game," said Bartlett.

Following their two losses, the Lady Panthers are 3-10 for the season and 0-3 for conference. On Tuesday, Saratoga will have been hosted by the Hanna, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow (HEM) Lady Miners and will host the Farson-Eden Lady Pronghorns starting at 5 p.m. on Jan. 31 for a rescheduled game.