Encampment's Brett Miller dives for the ball before Hanna-Elk Mountain-Medicine Bow's Celsey Meyer has a chance for possession during Friday's face-off. The Tigers beat the Miners 61-43, and as of last week were second place in the 1A Boys Southwest Division.
Encampment's varsity boys' basketball team experienced another huge win Friday evening, knocking out conference rivals Hanna-Elk Mountain-Medicine Bow 61-43.
The Encampment boys are now at a 10-3 (overall) and 2-1 (conference) for the season, and as of last week were second place in the 1A Southwest division. The Tigers had also won 71-46 in last weekend's conference game, which was against Farson-Eden, and followed up with a 55-51 win over Walden, Colo.
Encampment's varsity players will now see if they can keep their winning momentum in Friday's homecoming game versus Saratoga. The Tigers lost to the rival Panthers 80-60 in December.
In Friday's face-off at Hanna, the Tigers stayed close in points with the Miners for the first three quarters, and even trailed behind by three at the end of the first half. Encampment didn't show its scoring power until the fourth quarter, where the boys brought in 20 points and won by 18 at the end.
Head coach Clint Bromley said he was quite surprised by the Tigers' sudden takeover in the game's final quarter.
"It was a good game all the way, and I thought it would be a two-point ball game at the end," he said. "I didn't foresee putting up that many points and winning by 18. If you can get a conference win in somebody else's gym, that's a pretty good feat."
Luke Pantle came out as the top scorer, getting 23 of the team's 61 points. Guy Erickson took in 13, Brett Miller scored 11, Harold Jackson aced six, Matt Jarrett earned four and Brett Ralston and Jared Stewart netted two each.
"We've had several kids that got in the scoring column today, so we're tickled about that," Bromley said. "It's probably Brett's best game of the year. If there was a standout to me, it was him. He kind of made a difference, and we hope he keeps doing the same kind of thing along the way too."
Pantle said he was quite excited to win a second conference game, noting that conference wins are what really matter in the season.
"It feels awesome," he said. "The rest of the season is important, but not as important as conference, so it feels great," he said.
Bromley also commended HEM for their defense, and said he looked forward to playing them again. Quade Palm, the Miners' 6'6" giant, scored 14 points, Jake Sutter and Trevor Rice netted six each, Wyatt Phillips earned five, and Jason Nowak, Christian Gonzales and Celsey Meyer rounded out the team's points with four each.
"Hanna's got a little ways to go, and they're getting those kids well prepared," Bromley said. "It will be a dog fight the next time we see them, I'm sure. They had a good defensive strategy, and it took us awhile to figure that one out too. I thought our boys had a pretty good outing, and we're still looking for improvement."
The junior varsity Tigers also experienced victory Friday, winning 24-13 over the Miners.
Encampment's first highly-anticipated homecoming game against Saratoga begins at 4 p.m., Friday at Encampment. The Tigers also play Little Snake River at noon on Saturday at Encampment.
Results from last night's Rock River game were not available at press time.
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