Panthers rip into season opener

The Saratoga Panthers started off their season with a trio of wins as they co-hosted the Carbon County Classic—a preseason non-conference tournament in Saratoga, Encampment and Hanna.

The Panthers faced off against the Burlington Huskies and the Dubois Rams on Friday in Saratoga, then took on the Rock River Longhorns on Saturday in Hanna scoring more than 70 points in each game.

Panthers vs. Huskies

“We felt like the boys came out and played really well this past weekend,” said Jason Williams, head coach of the Saratoga Panthers. “We don’t have much experience at the varsity level, so to come out and play a high quality, pressure team like Burlington in our first game of the season was a good test for the boys.”

In the first quarter, the Panthers dominated their home hardwood putting up double digits while keeping Burlington to just a handful of baskets. An impressive feat considering the Huskies just came off the gridiron with a state championship in six-man football and were the 1A State Champions last season in basketball.

“We came out hot and never trailed during the game,” said Williams. “Burlington closed the gap in the second half and made a run in the 4th quarter, so I was very pleased with how the boys kept playing and closed out the win.”

Finn Rolseth led Saratoga with 29 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and 4 blocks. He was followed by Fischer Williams with 18 points and Snowdon Williams with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 steals. Rolseth also appeared to set the tone of the game with a rim-hanging slam dunk in the 1st quarter which energized the home crowd.

The final score was 76-70, Saratoga.

Panthers vs. Rams

After a win against Burlington, the Panthers took on the Dubois Rams.

“I could tell our legs weren’t as fresh, and the Burlington game was emotionally draining as well,” said Williams. “We picked it up on defense and came out on top of that game as well.”

Against the Rams, it was the trio of Williams which led the team with Snowdon Williams scoring 18 points with 9 rebounds and 5 steals. Fischer Williams scored 14 points and Hazen Williams scored 11 points and had 5 rebounds. Rolseth also contributed to the win with 11 points, 3 assists and 3 blocks.

The final score was 74-58, Saratoga.

Panthers vs. Longhorns

The final game of the weekend was against the Rock River Longhorns. This matchup would see the biggest delta of the tournament in favor of Saratoga with a nearly 50 point lead.

“The Rock River game saw 15 boys see the court and 13 of them score, and everyone got varsity stats of some kind,” said Williams.

Rolseth led the team with 11 points and was followed by Seth Stephens with 10 points.

The final score was 71-22, Saratoga.

“Overall, we saw a lot of growth in the boys over the weekend, and this was a great way for us to begin growing and gelling as a team,” said Williams.

The Saratoga Panthers will compete in another preseason tournament this weekend as they head to Shoshoni for the Wrangler Invite.