Lady Tigers takedown Saratoga in Valley scrap

After a tough loss against the Farson Lady Pronghorns, the Encampment Lady Tigers got redemption and did it at the right time as they defeated their Valley rivals, the Saratoga Lady Panthers by a score of 45-31.

Saratoga took an early lead but the Lady Tigers quickly tied the game at 2-2. Less than five minutes into the 1st quarter, both teams turned it into a slug fest.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my girls,” said Kevin Pantle, head coach of the Encampment Lady Tigers. “I knew they had it in them. I have been waiting for them to actually showcase what they are capable of and to get that confidence. I am super tickled.”

Pantle explained what his girls did better against the Lady Panthers compared to last Saturday’s loss. He said his girls really stepped it up and did not look back.

“The girls really hustled tonight,” Pantle said. “It was really good communication on defense and we got better at boxing out. They did a better job passing the ball and taking care of the ball. It was just a great hustle”.

Near the end of the 1st quarter the Lady Tigers took a 14-12 lead but with 0:00 on the clock Saratoga threw a foul. The Lady Tigers went to the free throw line and made one of two shots and Encampment took a 15-12 lead.

In the 2nd quarter both Lady Tigers and Lady Panthers started off slow. With 5:33 on the clock Saratoga scored a two point shot to decrease the lead to 15-14. Encampment called for a time out. With 2:35 in the 2nd quarter the Lady Panthers tied the game 15-15 on a foul. Saratoga had the opportunity to take the lead but only made one of two shots at the free throw line. Saratoga quickly got fouled again but missed both free throws.

With under 2:00 minutes the Lady Tigers got fouled and went to the free throw line. Encampment made one of two shots and took the lead at 16-15. With under a minute left in the second quarter the Lady Tigers took a five point lead with the score 21-15.

When the buzzard hit at 0:00 Encampment threw a foul on the Lady Panthers. Saratoga made two points at the free throw line and the score was 21-17 at half time.

Going into the 3rd quarter, the Lady Tigers came out aggressive and were ready to take control of the entire game with the help of their defense. Encampment’s confidence got better by each play.

“I am really proud of how our team played,” said Lady Tigers junior Savannah Fagan. “We didn’t expect to play as well as we did”.

With less than seven minutes into the 3rd quarter, the Lady Tigers took a 26-17 lead with a timeout called by Saratoga at 6:24 on the clock. Then with under four minutes left the Lady Tigers jumped to a 10 point lead as they made one of two shots at the free throw. The score was now 27-17 in favor of Encampment.

The Lady Tigers then quickly got two points to turn the score into a 29-17 lead before the Lady Panthers also got a quick two points and at that point the score was 29-19. With 2:47 on the clock the Lady Panthers went to the free throw line on a foul by Encampment. Saratoga made one of two shots and the score was now 29-20 in favor of Encampment.

Both teams scored back and forth and with 1:54 on the clock. Saratoga called a time out. At this point the Lady Tigers were up 31-22. Both teams scored some points with under a minute left and at the end of the 3rd quarter the Lady Tigers took a 35-27 lead over Saratoga.

Going into the 4th quarter the Lady Tigers took to total domination over the Lady Panthers. Both teams played hard and Saratoga did all they could to keep pace with Encampment but the Lady Tigers just could not be stopped.

“We played a great game and did everything we were supposed to do”, said Lady Tigers sophomore Regin Stewart. “We listened to our coaches and we just played extremely well”.

The Lady Panthers attempted to make the game close but it was the Lady Tigers defense that became the X-factor. With less than 3:00 minutes into the 4th quarter the Lady Tigers took a strong twelve point lead at 43-12. Encampment continued hitting hard at the net and as a result the Lady Tigers got the victory with a 45-31 win.

“We played better than our last game,” said Lady Tigers junior Kristie Jordan. “Our team listened to our coaches and we got the win”.

As for the Lady Panthers, things did not go their way. Saratoga had some missed shots that could have either got them the win or made the game close. In the end the Lady Tigers defense put a stop on the Lady Panthers’ hopes to make a comeback.

“I feel that we just could not get into an offensive rhythm,” said Heather Bartlett, head coach of the Saratoga Lady Panthers. “Our shots were not falling for us. We would get a good steal but we could not capitalize on it”

Bartlett said there will be a lot of things that her girls will work on during practices. One of them is working on their half court.

“We need to improve on our half court,” Bartlett said. “We need to learn to score better on our half court and stay strong even if things do not go our way.”