Panthers win versus Longhorns and Eagles, lose to Huskies and Tigers during regional play
Logan Seahorn goes up for a shot against the Burlington Huskies during Friday's game.
Panther Colton Jones tries to take a charge as Tiger Sean Stewart goes up for a shot in their loss to Encampment.
Saratoga Panther Gage Bartlett goes up for a shot in their Regional game against the Meeteetse Longhorns on Thursday.
The Saratoga Panthers ventured from the Panther Den to compete in the 1A West Regional Boys Basketball Tournament over the weekend where they would place fourth following a loss in the final consolation game to conference and Valley rivals the Encampment Tigers.
"I am extremely proud of how the boys played at the Regional tournament," said Jason Williams, head coach of the Saratoga Panthers.
Panthers vs. Longhorns
The first game of the Regional Tournament would see the No. 2 Southwest ranked Panthers take on the No. 3 Northwest ranked Meeteetse Longhorns. At the end of the game, the Panthers would lead by 31 points.
"The first game we came out with some nerves in the first quarter," said Williams, "but the boys did a good job of settling down in the second quarter."
Gage Bartlett led the team against the Longhorns with 18 points, followed by Nate Rimmer with 13 points and both Sam Schneider and Teegan Love with 11 points.
The Panthers won by a final score of 65-34.
Panthers vs. Huskies
Following their victory over Meeteetse, the Panthers faced off against the No. 1 Northwest ranked Burlington Huskies. The Huskies ended the game with a 9 point lead over the Panthers, sending them into the consolations rounds.
"The second game against Burlington was a tough game because we lost two starters to injury," said Williams, "However, the younger guys really stepped up and played their hearts out and gave Burlington everything they could handle."
Sophomore Logan Seahorn would lead the Panthers in scoring against the Huskies with 20 points, followed by Bartlett with 17 and Love with 12.
The final score was 62-71 in favor of the Huskies.
Panthers vs. Eagles
The Panthers took on St. Stephens after the Eagles lost to the Encampment Tigers. Saratoga would end the game with a 22 point lead
"The third game was a must-win for us and we came out Saturday morning very focused," said Williams.
Schneider led the team against the Eagles with 22 points, followed by Bartlett with 20 points and Love with 15.
Securing their place in the State Tournament, the Panthers would only need to determine their placement.
The final score was 75-53.
Panthers vs. Tigers
When the Valley rivals faced off in the regular season, the Panthers were victorious over the Tigers both times. The first game saw Saratoga and Encampment enter overtime and the Panthers win by 2 points. The second game saw Saratoga win with a 1 point lead.
This time, as they played to determine placement in the State Tournament, the Panthers would fall to the Tigers by 13 points and land in the No. 4 seed.
"The final game of the tournament was for third and fourth and we played hard," said Williams, "we just didn't have it that game."
Bartlett, again, lead the Panthers in scoring with 24 points, half made through 3-pointers. Schneider followed with 18 points and Love with 8 points.
The final score was 57-70.
"We are looking forward to the State Tournament and want to thank all of the parents and fans who have supported us this year," said Williams, "We look forward to representing the community in Casper this weekend."
The Panthers first game of the State Tournament will be against No. 1 East ranked Kaycee Buckaroos at 9 p.m. on March 1 at the Casper Events Center.
Reader Comments(0)