Panthers fall in Battle of the Valley

The roar of Panther fans filled the Encampment K-12 School gym on January 11 as the Saratoga Panthers were hosted by the Encampment Tigers for the first conference match between the two Valley teams.

Despite the very vocal support, Saratoga appeared to struggle through most of the game even as they worked on a comeback in the third quarter. Ultimately, the Panthers were just barely dealt their first conference loss of the season.

‘We came out a little flat and rusty after the holiday break, and we couldn’t get anything going offensively. I was very proud of how the boys came out in the third quarter and fought their way back into the game,” said Head Coach Jason Williams. “It became a back-and-forth game in the fourth quarter, but Encampment did a good job of holding the ball and forcing us to foul.”

In the first few minutes of the game, it looked as if it would be a strong match-up through all four quarters as both Saratoga and the Tigers sank three-pointers. With 5:35 left in the first quarter, Encampment just barely led the Panthers 5-4. As the quarter elapsed, however, the Tigers were able to put up another 10 points compared to another 4 points for Saratoga. The first quarter was a defensive battle as both teams worked on boxing out at the basket.

The end of quarter score was 15-8, Encampment.

While the Panthers appeared to be finding their groove, moments in the game showed that if some of their players can be consistent through all four quarters they can execute well. Jace Westring had few issues getting inside the paint for a layup while Griffin Bartlett found ways to get around Encampment’s defense. Max Jones, meanwhile, will be someone to watch as his coordination catches up with his height.

The second quarter saw more of the same with the Tigers throwing up a total of 8 points compared to 4 points from Saratoga. While the Panthers put up an effort on defense, Encampment was able to find success in securing three-point baskets where Saratoga was struggling.

At halftime, the Panthers trailed 23-12 to the Tigers.

“We go into each game with the mindset of using that game to make us better, and I feel like we were able to learn a lot and get better from the Encampment game." ~ Jason Williams, Saratoga Panthers Head Coach

Coming back onto the hardwood for the second half, Saratoga appeared to find some new energy as they began executing a successful offense. While it was also a defensive battle, with 3:30 remaining in the quarter the Panthers had put up 6 points to Encampment’s 2 points. The cold start Saratoga had to begin the game appeared to be thawing as they continued to close the scoring gap.

Trailing 27-24 to Encampment with just 30 seconds left before the final quarter, Saratoga sank a three-pointer to tie the game 27-27.

With a chance for a come-from-behind win, the Panthers hit the hardwood for the fourth quarter where they eventually lead 38-34 over Encampment. A three-pointer from the Tigers, however, closed that gap to a single point.

Much of the scoring came in the final seconds of the game, with Encampment leading 39-37 with less than a minute left. The Tigers, in the final 30 seconds, kept Saratoga from scoring while putting up another 4 points with half of those at the free throw line.

The final score was 43-37, Encampment.

“We go into each game with the mindset of using that game to make us better, and I feel like we were able to learn a lot and get better from the Encampment game. The boys played extremely hard the whole game, and I am proud of them for that,” said Williams. “It was a capacity crowd and a fun atmosphere. We saw some good things for the boys and also some areas we need to work on before our next conference games this week.”

Burris Berger led the Panthers against Encampment with a double-double: 11 points and 11 rebounds. Jace Westring followed with 10 points and Griffin Bartlett scored 8 points and had 12 rebounds.

Following their loss to the Encampment Tigers, the Saratoga Panthers are sitting at No. 3 in the 1A Southwest Conference with a season record of 6-2 and a conference record of 0-1. This week holds two more conference games for Saratoga.

On January 16, the Panthers will host the Little Snake River Valley Rattlers (4-3, 0-0) at 4:30 p.m. Then, on January 17, Saratoga will be hosted by the Fort Washakie Eagles (2-4, 0-2) at 5 p.m.