Class, integrity and respect

When the buzzer sounded to end the 1A State Championship game, Saratoga's Gavin Bartlett embraced Upton's Luca Brooks. Then, with tears in his eyes, he walked to Coach Jason Williams and hugged him as well.

A year before, the Saratoga Panthers had a much different result as they had won their first State Championship in school history. This year, Upton won the state championship-also their first in school history-but that also meant somebody had to lose. The Panthers had played through quarantines, a COVID quad and the difficult 1A Southwest Conference to return to Casper and the Ford Wyoming Center.

Before facing the Upton Bobcats in the championship round, Saratoga would deal a significant loss to the Guernsey-Sunrise Vikings on Wednesday afternoon and a double-digit loss to the Southeast Cyclones on Wednesday night.

Panthers vs. Vikings

While Saratoga had faced the Vikings twice during the regular season, the Panthers left nothing to chance when they faced Guernsey-Sunrise at 1:30 p.m.

"Sometimes games like that are easy to overlook or can be hard to get up for," said Williams, "but I was very pleased with how focused the boys were and how they were able to go take care of businesses."

"Take care of business" is certainly one way to put it. When the Panthers had hosted Guernsey-Sunrise in December, they sent the Vikings back home with a 40 point loss as they won 67-27. In January, Saratoga sailed to another win against the Vikings as they were hosted by Guernsey-Sunrise with a score of 64-15. At the state tournament, a similar loss was dealt to the Vikings.

While senior Teegan Love led the Panthers against Guernsey-Sunrise with 20 points and 6 rebounds, a number of junior varsity players were able to get time on the hardwood as well. Jordan Travis scored 8 points and had 2 rebounds, Frank Crimmins scored 7 points for Saratoga and had 5 rebounds and was followed by J.D. Buttle, who also scored 7 points and had 5 rebounds as well. 

The final score was 68-33. Saratoga moved onto the semifinal rounds while the Vikings set their longboats for the consolation bracket.

Panthers vs. Cyclones

At 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Saratoga faced the Cyclones. Earlier that day, Southeast had dealt a loss to the Farson-Eden Pronghorns. While they may have been looking to sweep away another team from the 1A Southwest, the Panthers would sink their claws in for yet another win.

"Once again, the boys were focused and played their game," Williams said. "Our defense was key in that game, just like it has been all year."

Just like with the Vikings, Saratoga had played Southeast twice during the regular season. When the Cyclones blew into the Panther Den in December, the Saratoga took the wind out of them with a loss 51-36. Then, in January, the Panthers were hosted by Southeast and dealt the Cyclones yet another loss, this time 58-47.

The semifinal match between the two would have similar results, but the Panthers would ultimately take down Southeast.

Love, again, led Saratoga as he scored 14 points and had 7 rebounds.  Gavin Bartlett followed with 13 points and 3 rebounds. Senior Noah Rimmer scored 8 points and had 10 rebounds. The Bartlett Twins also contributed to the win, with Grady Bartlett scoring 5 points and making 5 rebounds while Grant Bartlett scored 4 points and had 4 rebounds.

The final score was 44-33.

For the second year in a row, Saratoga had made it to the championship round.

Panthers vs. Bobcats

Saratoga had never played the Bobcats during the regular season, but their records were quite similar. Upton had gone their entire season with only one loss out of 21 games and had not lost a single conference game. The Panthers, meanwhile, had been dealt just one conference loss and had been dealt a total of two losses for their season before the State Tournament.

While the Panthers came out in the 1st quarter with the lead, it didn't take long for Upton to push past Saratoga. There were a total of three lead changes throughout the game and the teams tied the score four different times. With some calls not going their way and baskets not making it in, the Bobcats would eventually establish a large enough lead to secure a win against the defending state champions.

"Even though we didn't win that game, the boys displayed the kind of class, integrity and respect that they have shown all year," Williams said. "It was great that the entire state got to see the kind of young men they are, how hard they work and how hard they work and how they keep their composure on the floor."

Love, who would foul out in the final seconds of the game, led the Panthers once again as he scored 21 points and had 5 rebounds. Gavin Bartlett followed with 13 points and 7 rebounds and Rimmer would score 13 points and make 7 rebounds.

It was almost fitting that the senior players made the most contributions in their final game of their careers, even if it didn't go the way they had hoped. While they hadn't been able to make history, again, with a back-to-back State Championship they at least had the honor to have rewritten history the first time the year before.

"It was a great year and a great way for these seniors to finish out their careers, every one of them," Williams said. "We overcame a lot this year; the COVID restrictions and uncertainty that everyone had to deal with as well as a two week quarantine in the middle of January. I was so proud of thow the boys came back from that and to finish out the season with five conference wins in nine days. I am just so incredibly proud of these boys and I hope they realize just how amazing their accomplishments have been."