Saratoga moves on to the 1A/2A State Tournament after facing some tough competition
The Saratoga Panthers secured three out of four wins in Lander. and as a result, got a 3rd place finish to the 1A/2A State Tournament
The Panthers trip to Lander was not an easy one. In the first round Saratoga faced a tough and determined Burlington Huskies into overtime. The Panthers were able to walk off with a 82-76 win. On Friday Saratoga faced their longtime conference rival, the Cokeville Panthers who did not make things easy for Saratoga.
Cokeville took a 62-35 win over the Panthers. However, Saratoga rebounded and got wins over the Little Snake River Valley Rattlers, 63- 51, and the Meeteetse Longhorns, 53-38. Jason Williams, head coach of the Saratoga Panthers, said despite the tough loss to Cokeville, overall it was a good weekend for Panther basketball and his team made their goals.
“Our goal from the beginning of the season was to qualify for the state tournament and give ourselves a chance to compete on the first Saturday in March,” Williams said. “We started off playing a tough Burlington team and we started well but missed some easy shots early and it turned into a pitched battle for most of the game. It went to overtime and we were able to get a couple of quick baskets and give ourselves some breathing room. “
Williams said that Saratoga simply came out flat against the always tough Cokeville Panthers. He said he is proud of the way his team bounced back the following day.
“We were flat coming out for our game against Cokeville,” Williams said. “We dug ourselves a big hole early in that game. On Saturday we had to play two tough teams, and I was proud of how the boys bounced back from Friday’s loss and we were able to put two wins together for the third place trophy.”
Next up for Saratoga is another tough team that is no stranger to the 1A Southwest Conference teams. The Southeast Cyclones are ranked No. 1 in the 1A Southeast Conference with a 6-0 conference record and an overall record of 14-10. Williams said it won’t be an easy game by any means, but he is confident his team can match up to them.
“Southeast is probably the biggest team in 1A so we will need to come out early with energy and dictate the pace of the game.” Williams said. “I am looking forward, this week. We will need to focus on sharpening up our defense and rebounding, as well as executing our own offense.”
Saratoga will face the Southeast Cyclone at noon on Thursday, February 29 at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
First Round game: Saratoga 82, Burlington 76 (OT)
Semi-Final game: Cokeville 62, Saratoga 35
Consolation semi-final game: Saratoga 63, Snake River 51
3rd/4th Place game: Saratoga 53, Meeteetse 38
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