Panthers win Valley showdown with Encampment

The Saratoga Panthers put on a dominant performance against the Encampment Tigers on the road. Everything went right for the Panthers both on offense and defense and it showed. Saratoga stepped up when they needed to and got a 73-65 win.

For the majority of the game, the Panthers were leading as high as 15 points. But Encampment for most of the game was playing catch up but was able to make the game close late in the 4th quarter. In the end, it was Saratoga freshman Griffin Barlett who, despite feeling under the weather, was able to help push the Panthers to victory.

Even though Barlett was not feeling good health-wise, he said that he just could not let the team down even if it meant he had to play in pain.

"My family and myself have learned to fight through the pain," Bartlett said. "If I went out it would not feel right and I just kept on playing and fighting through the pain".

Bartlett said that discipline is a family value that he carries with him whenever he competes on the court. He said he credits his older brothers for giving him that competitive spirit.

"My brothers and I would talk a lot of trash and we played through the pain together," Bartlett said. "When we played basketball together we never let the pain stand in our way".

Despite Barlett's amazing performance he said he was a little flat on the offense missing layups but said he played well on defense which helped the Panthers stay in the game.

In the 1st quarter, both the Panthers and Tigers had a slow start. Both teams made some misses on their shots with some turnovers. Then things got interesting with under five minutes on the clock when both teams scored back and forth.

With 4:00 on the clock, the Panthers scored on a three-pointer to take a 13-10 lead. Encampment called for a time out as the Tigers went to their coaches to regroup. At 3:16, the Panthers scored two points and got fouled.

Saratoga missed the two free throws but the Panthers were able to score quickly. At that point, the Panthers had an 18-12 lead. With under a minute in the 1st quarter, both teams were putting points on the board, and at the end of the 1st quarter, Saratoga took a 21-18 lead.

Going into the 2nd quarter, both the Panthers and Tigers played physical basketball. With 6:35 on the clock, Saratoga took a 22-20 lead and with 6:00 on the clock Encampment tied the game at 22-22. At that point, the Panthers called for a time-out.

Both teams were battling it out to take control of the lead with under a minute left on the clock. The Panthers were able to take a 35-28 lead at halftime.

Going to the second half the Panthers were poised and knew they had this game under control.

Both the Panthers and the Tigers turned the final quarters into a huge thriller. Both teams played with every last ounce of energy knowing that only one team would be declared the winner.

"Hats off to Encampment. They are a scrappy and well-coached team," said Jason Williams, head coach of the Saratoga Panthers. "We knew it was going to be a battle going into tonight's game and Encampment is the kind of team you felt you could never put away. Also hats off to our boys as well. They just kept pushing and pushing and our boys got a hard-earned victory".

Williams said one thing that impressed him the most on his team's performance was their grit even though they did not shoot the ball well. He said the Tigers just kept going strong.

"We did not shoot the ball too well but it did not drag our guys down," Williams said. " It was that mental toughness that just got us through the game".

Williams pointed out that the number one priority that his team needs to work on is their defensive rotation. It is something he will be addressing at their next practice.

"Our defensive rotation was not the best," Williams said. "It is something we will be working to improve on and get better at."

Going into the 3rd quarter both teams turned the game into a tug-of-war. With less than five minutes on the clock, the Panthers took a 9 point lead with a score of 43-34. With 4:11 on the clock, the Tigers made one shot at the free throw line. Saratoga called timeout and the Tigers went back to the free throw line to finish their second shot which was unsuccessful.

The Panthers got the ball back, scored a three-pointer, and got the ball back again and made two quick two-pointers from great rebounding. With 2:55 on the clock, Saratoga stretched it to a 15-point lead with the score 50-35. With under a minute left the Panthers continued to dominate the 3rd quarter and as a result Saratoga took a 57-41 lead.

Going into the 4th quarter the Tigers made it clear that they were not going down without a fight. The 4th quarter became an ultimate catfight where both teams slugged it out hard. As both teams turned the ball over back and forth, the Tigers were able to make it a close game. With 5:14 on the clock in the 4th quarter, the Panthers lead was cut down to 9 points with the score 62-53. Encampment called for a timeout and to regroup in hopes of a comeback. The Tigers also made some important baskets to keep the game close.

With 1:51 on the clock, the Tigers were at free throw, missing both shots. Encampment quickly got the ball back and was able to reduce the lead to 71-63. The Tigers got the ball back but the Panthers were able to capitalize on a rebound and were able to hold off to a 73-63 win.

It was the Panther's outstanding rebounding that kept them in the game with the help of Saratoga's senior Finn Rolseth who led the way in rebounding that locked in the win for the Panthers.

"I came out the first half and did not expect the rebounds to be prepared for me because I drive a lot;" Rolseth said. "Encampment is super disciplined so that first half didn't go well (sic) for me so when we got into the locker room I knew I had to step up for the team and everyone who came out to watch me".

As the Tigers attempted to make a comeback Roseth knew he had to make the big plays and put the pressure on Encampment's offense to secure the win. He gives credit to his coach who has worked with him.

"I can only thank Coach Williams for that," Rolseth said. "Every single time I practiced whether we were in a bad mood or just tired he would yell at us to keep it up because tough teams like Encampment would come at us every time".

As for Tigers Head Coach Jake Johnston, his players gave it all they had but in the end, his team had no answers to stop the Panthers. He said despite the loss his guys played well.

"I thought that the team played hard and played together tonight," Johnston said. "We had scoring droughts in the second and third quarters that hurt us. We need to continue to improve our rebounding and be disciplined on offense. Overall, I thought the team played well".