Raising the level

The Saratoga Lady Panthers only had one game over the weekend as they returned to the hardwood following the holiday break. The first post-holiday game for the Lady Panthers was on the road as they were hosted by the Rock River Lady Longhorns. Not only did Saratoga’s girls come out ready to play, but they were able to put another win under their belt.

“Our game in Rock River went really well this weekend,” said Heather Bartlett, head coach for the Lady Panthers. “I was really pleased with the girls effort. They really came ready to play. We have been making it a point of emphasis this year to play hard every play and then, when we get a lead, play harder or ‘raise the level.’”

The Lady Longhorns are not an easy team and the 1A Southeast Conference is beginning to become as challenging as that of the 1A Southwest. The night before, Rock River had delivered a two-point loss to Encampment while in Tiger Nation.

“Rock River is a tough team and they have one really outstanding player who is a great shooter and she hurt us some in the 1st half of the game by making four three’s,” Bartlett said. “However, we were able to shut her down in the 2nd half because of a great defensive effort from Savannah Wells. She did a great job.”

In addition to the defense provided by Wells, offensive work from senior Makiya Johnson helped keep the Lady Panthers in the game and ahead of Rock River. Johnson was unable to play last season following an injury she received during the 1A State Volleyball Tournament.

“On offense, for us, senior Makiya Johnson has really been stepping it up for the last two games we have played,” said Bartlett. “She had a season high of 12 points in the Rock River game.”

In addition to the 12 points scored against the Lady Longhorns, Johnson also had 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Freshman Whitney Bennett also scored 12 points and had 7 rebounds and 6 steals.

“Whitney Bennett had 12 points for us this game and she has been standing out for us all season with her scoring and rebounding,” Bartlett said. “Tasia Daley and Taylor Bennett also had great offensive games with 8 and 6 points and they both played solid all-around games.”

Daley, along with scoring 8 points against Rock River, had 4 rebounds and 5 steals. Senior T. Bennett added 5 rebounds and 4 steals to the 6 points she scored against the Lady Longhorns. Wells scored 5 points against Rock River and had 2 rebounds and 2 steals.

Following this weekend, the Lady Panthers are 3-4 for the season and will begin conference play on Thursday when they host their Valley rivals, the Encampment Lady Tigers, who are also 3-4 for the season.

“We are excited to start our conference season with Encampment this week with our home opener on Thursday night,” said Bartlett. “It will be a tough game, as all of our conference games this year will be, and we are looking forward to a good game.”

The Saratoga Lady Panthers will host the Encampment Lady Tigers beginning at 6 p.m. on January 9 at Saratoga Middle High School.