Saratoga’s Panthers may have lost out on going to state this time, but they walked away with their first winning basketball season in five years.
With a 14-13 season record, head coach Josh Sandlian said he was proud to see his boys end with more overall wins than losses.
“I’m disappointed we’re not going to Casper, but we had a winning season with 14-13, our first winning season in the five years I’ve been head coach,” he said. “We look at the great things we’ve done together, and it’s because the boys worked together.”
The boys got off to a rough start at the regional tournament, losing to Big Horn 66-76 on their first day in Cheyenne. Though outsized by the Rams, Sandlian said his boys caught up after trailing by 20 points.
“Thursday night was against Big Horn, a really good team, and we were outsized a bit,” he said. “We were down 20 points at one point, but then came back to get within six. We lost by 10 to a great team.”
The Panthers finally got a win Friday when they beat Sundance 45-34. Even with the final nine-point difference, Sandlian said the game was a tough battle throughout.
“When we played Sundance, they really took us out of the game,” he said. “We really had to push the ball up the floor, and the score for the first three quarters was lower than what we were used to.”
The third game was when the Panthers’ state chance came crashing down, as they lost to Burns 45-49. Even with the loss, Sandlian said he was proud that his new varsity players could experience regionals.
“We were confident that we could beat them at the start, but we weren’t able to pull ahead and they were,” he said. “We have a group of kids who are new to playing varsity for the most part, so they’re new to the regional tournament and crowds, but they all did great.”
Sandlian said the team’s overall season percentages for free-throws, scoring per game, two-point field goals and three-point field goals were also the highest they had been in his five years as head coach. He was also appreciative of the fan support over the last three months.
“We did a lot of great things this year, and even though it was hard for our seniors to walk away Saturday, we talked a lot about hope and created a positive culture for Saratoga basketball this season,” Sandlian said. “I saw real improvement, and our boys worked hard.”
2A East Regional Boys Basketball Results
Key: Points (p), free-throws made (ft), rebounds (r), blocks (b)
steals (s), assists (a), turnovers (t)
Game 1
Vs. Big Horn,
Thursday, Feb. 27
66-76
Ben Falk- 11p, 3ft, 10r, 2b, 2s, 1a, 5t
John Brennan- 16p, 2ft, 3r, 2 a, 3t
Cameron Collamer- 4p, 4r, 1s, 3a, 3t
Braxton Schwartzkopf- 20p, 3r, 1b, 1s, 1a, 5t
Andrew Oiler-Janecek- 2p, 2r, 1t
Ryan Malone- 5p, 1ft, 1r, 1a
Jace Berger- 2p, 1r
Emmanuel Pattishall-Baker- 2p, 4r, 1s, 1a, 2t
Game 2
Vs. Sundance,
Friday, Feb. 28
45-34
Ben Falk- 5p, 1ft, 10r, 1a, 3t
John Brennan- 11p, 3ft, 3r, 2s, 2a, 2t
Seth Harrison- 1r
Cameron Collamer- 2p, 5r, 1s, 3a, 3t
Braxton Schwartzkopf- 8p, 6r, 1b, 2s, 1t
Andrew Janecek-Oiler- 1r
Ryan Malone- 15p, 6ft, 2r, 3s, 1a, 3t
Jace Berger- 2p, 2ft, 2r, 1a
Emmanuel Pattishall-Baker- 2p, 2ft, 7r, 1t
Game 3
Vs. Burns,
Saturday, March 1
45-59
Ben Falk- 9p, 1ft, 3r, 1a, 2t
John Brennan- 10p, 3ft, 2a
Cameron Collamer- 6p, 2r, 2s, 2a, 4t
Braxton Schwartzkopf- 13p, 2ft, 3r, 1b, 2s, 1t
Ryan Malone- 7p, 1r, 1s, 2a
Jace Berger- 1r, 1t
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