Panthers plunder Guernsey-Sunrise

While the Guernsey-Sunrise Vikings may have come to the Valley in hopes of stealing a win from the Saratoga Panthers on Friday, the Panthers sunk any hopes of a win with a substantial double-digit lead as they headed into Christmas break.

"Obviously, just really pleased," said Jason Williams, head coach of the Panthers. "(The) boys just came out and played really hard and that's what I was hoping we would do. They just played the game the right way and I couldn't be prouder of them for it."

The win over the Vikings is just the most recent pre-season win for Saratoga as they dispatched the Lingle-Fort Laramie Doggers and Southeast Cyclones last weekend on the road and the Dubois Rams on December 11 at home. Along with the pre-Christmas game ending with a win for the Panthers, it also provided the junior varsity players with some much needed time on the court.

"I was really pleased with them and Coach (Logan) Wright and I were actually talking about that on the bench, that this was going to be really good for them to play without Gavin (Bartlett) and Teegan (Love) because they won't always be around," Williams said. "They kept their composure and that Guernsey team, they've got some really good athletes."

In the 1st quarter of the match, Saratoga gained ground quickly against the Vikings as three of the five starters consisted of the Bartlett Bunch; senior Gavin Bartlett and sophomore twins Grant and Grady Bartlett. While the older Bartlett maintained a somewhat relaxed pace on the court, the twins filled the role of agitators, putting Guernsey-Sunrise on their toes and forcing turnovers.

As the 1st quarter ended, Saratoga would lead 21-2 over the Vikings following multiple three-point shots from the starting line-up. The 2nd quarter saw more of the same, as the Panthers continued to sink their claws into the invading Guernsey-Sunrise. In fact, the second eight minutes of the first half saw Saratoga put up more points than the first with the Panthers leading 44-6 by halftime.

Before the first half of the game had elapsed, Williams subbed nearly his entire starting line-up with junior varsity players who also threw up three-point shots against the Vikings. Senior Erik Pinedo would make the shot that put the Panthers at 44 points and senior Jordan Travis would make some three-pointers of his own in the second half.

While Saratoga had players on the court with limited varsity experience, the Vikings were unable to close the gap. Even as Guernsey-Sunrise threw up 21 points in the second half of the game, the Panthers put up another 23 points of their own while both teams worked against a running clock.

When the buzzer sounded, Saratoga would end the game with a score of 67-27.

JD Buttle scored 19 points and had 5 rebounds against the Vikings and was followed by Love with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Gavin Bartlett scored 6 points and had 7 rebounds and 5 assists while Grant and Grady Bartlett each scored 7 points. Geoffrey Johnson scored 5 points and had 4 assists.

With the pre-season officially over, the Panthers must now use practice time over the holiday break to prepare for conference play.

"This conference is always tough, it's been tough for years and it's going to be tough again this year," Williams said. "We're just going to have to come prepared every day, every night, and we're going to have to continue working on those things that have gotten us here."

While Willliams said he was happy with how Saratoga's defense has come along, it doesn't mean they can't still work on it. Additionally, the head coach said that he sees some work needed on blocking and rebounds before heading into the new year.

"We need to keep working on those things because we're going to have to be ready to step our game up a level when we come back," said Williams. "Second weekend out we've got Encampment and they're going to give us everything we can handle and we need to be ready for that."

The Saratoga Panthers are 4-0 for the season and will host the Southeast Cyclones at 7 p.m. on January 7.