The Saratoga Panthers came tearing into Friday's matchup with three straight wins dating back to last season (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 26.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They pulled ahead with a 66-65 photo finish over Rocky Mountain. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Despite the loss, Rocky Mountain had strong showings from Lafe Files, who scored 18 points along with five rebounds, and Cole Minchow, who scored 21 points. Those 18 points set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Tucker Jackson, who scored eight points along with eight rebounds.
Even though they lost, Rocky Mountain were working as a unit and finished the game with 17 assists. That's the most assists they've managed all season.
Saratoga's win bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Rocky Mountain, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
Saratoga will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Wind River at 4:00 p.m. on January 5, 2024. Rocky Mountain is on the road again on Saturday and play against Kemmerer at 1:00 p.m. on December 16th.
