Lady Panthers end season in Lander

Just like other teams from the Valley, the Saratoga Lady Panthers were forced by Winter Storm Olive to leave for the 1A West Regional Tournament in Lander a few days early.

The weather did more than force an early departure for the Lady Panthers. Many family members were unable to attend due to closed roads, making it a sad end to the season and the final game for the senior players. Despite all of that, Head Coach Heather Bartlett said she believe the girls conducted themselves in an exemplary manner all week.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the way they represented our community and our school,” said Bartlett.

At the regional tournament, the Lady Panthers faced the Riverside Lady Rebels, the Meeteetse Lady Longhorns and the Encampment Lady Tigers.

Lady Panthers vs. Lady Rebels

In the quarterfinal round, the Lady Panthers faced Riverside, the No. 2 Northwest seed. The Lady Rebels, however, sent Saratoga to the consolation bracket with a 6 point margin, winning 43-37 over the Lady Panthers.

Lady Panthers vs. Lady Longhorns

In the consolation bracket, the Saratoga faced off against the Lady Longhorns to keep their dreams of going to the State Tournament alive. Meeteetse, which came in as the No. 4 for the northwest, fell to the Lady Panthers. Sinking their claws into the Lady Longhorns, Saratoga advanced with a score of 45-25.

Lady Panthers vs. Lady Tigers

Though miles from home, the semifinal round of the consolation bracket saw the Lady Panthers face off against their conference and Valley rivals, Encampment. The game went to the Lady Tigers, who dealt Saratoga their final loss with a score of 38-33.

“At this tournament our team had a series of games where we could not find a scoring rhythm. We tried different strategies to get shots to fall but for reasons we could not overcome, this was not the case,” said Bartlett. “Defensively we had some good moments that helped give us opportunities to score but could not make enough shots to continue playing this coming week in Casper.”

Though the season may not have ended the way the Lady Panthers wanted, Bartlett found a silver lining for her team.

“This has been a great season and the work and dedication that these girls have put in should, in their minds, be a great reward for giving all they can in their future endeavors,” said Bartlett. “We are very proud of our girls.”