Lady Tigers down Panthers

The Encampment girls basketball team defeated the Saratoga Panthers 41-29 in the Tiger Den this weekend, thanks to a second half comeback by the Tigers.

At half, the Lady Tigers were down 24-18, but managed to tie the game in the third period and outscored their rivals 12 to one in the final period to secure victory.

For Tiger head coach Mandy Westerman – it came down to her players, their maturity and the choices they’d make on the court.

“I’ve been telling the girls in a lot of different situations, not just the Saratoga game, that we have a choice,” Westerman said. “We have a choice of how we’re going to play. We have a choice of how to control this game. I think my girls take me seriously and they showed a lot of maturity.”

From fouls to loud crowds, a rivalry game like the Battle of the Platte comes with lots of pressure. Her tigers used that pressure to their advantage, Westerman said.

“They knew they had to make good decisions, play hard and have the confidence in themselves to win the game,” she said. “As much as I’d like to take credit for it, my girls are very mature and handled that pressure well, almost to their advantage, especially in the fourth quarter.”

The easy thing to do in a situation like that would be to fold underneath the pressure, especially in front of a big crowd, Westerman said, “they used it in a positive way and kept their heads about them the entire time to pull out the win.”

The win builds conference confidence going forward

Battling through adversity to get a victory over the Panthers Saturday and a 66-16 thrashing at Ft. Washakie on Friday gives the Lady Tigers confidence in conference play as the season progresses.

“We bring our own momentum to these settings,” Westerman said about what she has told her players. “We love our crowd and the people who come to support us, but we also have to bring our own fire to the court.”

Being able to pull off coming from behind, having to refocus, regroup and still being able to get the win proves what Westerman and her assistant coach, Micaiah Pantle, have been reiterating to their players all season.

“We believe they’re capable of doing anything. They have the mindset and heart to get it done,” she said. “Moving forward, we can use this game as a reference point knowing we’re not out of it until we're out of it. If we keep pushing and working hard, we can make big things happen.”

From player to coach

Westerman, Encampment Class of 2013, has the unique experience of both playing and coaching for the Tigers in the Platte Valley rivalry game against Saratoga.

“It’s different, but in all the best ways,” she said about coaching versus playing. “I have a lot of respect for the coaches I’ve had because it’s tough. We get such big crowds. I know people on all sides and girls from each team. I just want to see everybody do well and execute.”

Westerman is proud to coach her girls and happy with the way they played in front of a packed crowd.

“This game was always fun in highschool,” she said. “Seeing it from a coaches perspective and seeing the development of our girls, their mental toughness and integrity makes it even better. I prefer the coach's side now because I’m mature enough to see the difference it makes in the kids.”