Panthers perform perfectly to end season

The Saratoga Panthers finished their regular season with a significant win over the North Park Wildcats and an 18-0 record. On Tuesday, Saratoga dealt a Valentine’s heartbreaker to the Wildcats in Walden with a score of 62-28.

“We went down there and our goal was to play strong,” Head Coach Jason Williams said. “The Wildcats are a little down this year, so we were able to take control early. All the boys got to play and almost every player scored. It was a game where everyone contributed.”

Williams said the win over the Wildcats was a great way to end the regular season.

“It was a pretty fast paced game and although the starters were not in the whole game, they still got a pretty good workout,” Williams said. “It gave the other players a chance to get more experience before we start regionals.”

Saratoga, along with other teams, left on Monday for the 1A Southwest Regional tournament to avoid road closures from the expected winter storm.

The Panthers are scheduled to play the Riverside Rebels first.

“We played the Rebels before Christmas in the Shoshoni Tournament and beat them by about 20 points,” Williams said. “They are a fast and pretty physical team and they have a couple guys who get their sights on three pointers. Riverside can be dangerous. They are a team that is much better than their record indicates.”

Williams said the Rebels, whose season record is 3-17, have played a lot of excellent teams this season but have just come up short.  

“They are definitely a team we are not going to look past,” Williams said. “The other two teams in our bracket are Farson and Dubois. The Pronghorns gave us a scare recently and Dubois has the Wells (Ryan) kid who has had games where he scored 35 and 41, so he can really pour it on.”

Williams said regionals are always a battle because every team starts with the same record in the beginning.

“It all comes down to a team has to win two, before you lose two,” Williams said. “We are going to come out and give our best because even though every team is starting with the same record in regionals, we know every team we will play wants to be the team that beat us first this season.”

Williams said every team is on a level field. The Panthers undefeated regular season record might make them a target, but they almost have to start all over again.

“We accomplished some amazing things this past season, but none of that matters now,” Williams said. “What matters now, is the next three games.”

Williams feels the team this year has a group of special boys.

“They are very self motivated,” Williams said. “I wish I could take the credit for it and say I was this phenomenal coach, but these kids are extraordinary in that it is all them. They always find a way to win games and let me come along for the ride.”

Williams shared some words of wisdom for his boys as they went into regionals after practice Monday night.

“We are facing obstacles having to come early and practice in different gyms and stay in hotel rooms earlier than we anticipated, but we just have to overcome the adversity because it is a life skill,” Williams said. “This is practice in how life works.”