Panthers take wind out of #3 Cyclones

In a game where the Panthers had a fair first half rebounded to give the third-ranked Southeast Cyclones (1-3, 2A Southeast, 5-8 overall) a fight in the second half.

Panther fans cheered the varsity boys team (1-3, 2A Southeast, 3-11 overall) on to their first conference win Saturday afternoon. The Panthers beat Southeast 47-40.

The first half ended with the Panthers down by 3 at 15-18. The home team gave a performance that had fans cheering and rising to their feet.

Saratoga kept pace with the Cyclones in the first quarter with a 10-9 finish, but only scored 5 points in the second quarter.

The Panthers came out with an offensive game in the second half and tied the score at 22 halfway into the third quarter. "They executed their offense and had really good shots," Panthers head coach Joe Johnston said.

Johnston said the team is improving their defense, and that it was apparent in the game against the conference's No. 2 ranked Lusk Tigers (3-1, 2A Southeast, 11-4 overall) , even though they lost 45-71 Friday night. The Panther offense struggled against Lusk in the first and third quarters, scoring only 7 points in those quarters. "They were nervous, but the defense was good," Johnston said.

In the game against Southeast Saturday, Jace Berger's defense added to the success of the Panthers as he grabbed rebounds from the Cyclones in the back court.

Johnston said the team is working together and not being selfish with their shots. Several players are getting shots in and that is what Johnston wants to see from his team. Saturday, they shot 28 percent from the floor and Johnston wants to see it improve to 35 to 40 percent.

The Panthers offense took the lead against the Cyclones in the third quarter with a lead of 29-26.

Darian Williams received several hits to the head during the game, and during the third quarter was out of the game with a concussion when he and Cyclones' Jeff Burroughs dove for a loose ball. Johnston said he would use the three-step phase to get him back into the game. "It just depends on how fast he heals," Johnston said.

The game was a fight to the finish as the teams stayed within 3 points of each other. The Cyclones closed the score to 38-37 with one minute and 42 seconds remaining. A 3-pointer spurred the Panthers into a run in the final 45 seconds of the game. Along with Seth Harrison's free-throws, the Panthers outscored the Cyclones 9 to 3 in those final seconds.

The Panthers will be tested this weekend as they face to conference opponents at home and on the road. Friday night, the Panthers host the Burns Broncs. Burns is currently ranked No. 4 in the conference with a record of 1-3, 2A Southeast conference, 4-11 overall.

Saturday, the team travels to play against the Southeast conference's top-ranked team, the Pine Bluffs Hornets, who are undefeated in conference 3-0, and 13-1 overall.

Game time Friday is 3:30 p.m., at the Saratoga Middle/High School gym and Saturday at noon in Pine Bluffs. Both games begin with junior varsity play.