Saco/Whitewater dominates on way to District 3C championship

If anyone would have told me back in, say, early December, that the Saco/Whitewater Panthers (10-8 overall) would be in the Championship game of the 2010 Boys' 3C Basketball Tournament, I would have said, “Ain't them mushrooms wunnerful?” But here they are, Feb. 13, in the Glasgow Scotty Field House getting ready to tee it up against the second-seeded Scobey Spartans (14-4 overall) and battle for the heavy metal.  Wow and Egads!
On the other end of the speculum it came as no surprise to me that the Spartans would be here. They were a team that looked good at the end of last season and would only improve as this season rolled on.
Logan Hansen, their 6'2” junior post player had been honing his skills and was quite impressive at that position. Taylor Plante and Doug States, both seniors, will be missed next year, but sophomores Kale Love and TJ Snare should be able to fill in the gaps. The always tough Drew Baldry will also be back, along with 6'0” Kray Buer.
The Panthers match up quite nicely with the Spartans putting 6'4” sophomore Grant Christopherson at post. Also playing post is their only senior, 6'2” Kurt DePuydt, who has been a real powerhouse for the Panthers. Then add 6'2” sophomore's Blaise Bergtoll and 6'3” Cole Robinson to the mix, and the word that comes to mind would naturally be “Gadzooks.”
Oh, and did I mention this one other kid? This sophomore from Whitewater? This Jace Anderson?
Here's a player that can post 35 points on you in a heartbeat and is, in my opinion, the best sophomore ball handler in the division.
But it's tip-off time after these words from our sponsors.
The Panthers drew first blood and the Spartans answered with a free throw. Then a pass inside to Saco's Christopherson resulted in 2 points, followed quickly by Scobey's Baldry with a deuce of his own.
Blaise Bergtoll hit a nice 12'-jumper for the Panthers while Logan Hansen made a nice spin move around DePuydt for the layup and a Spartan deuce.
Christopherson grabbed an offensive rebound and tried to put it back up but couldn't with three Spartans hanging on his arms. He hit one of two from the line.
DePuydt scored for Saco off a fast break, Love passed inside to Hansen, who tried a shot but got hammered and missed the front end of a one and one.
Taylor Plante scored for Scobey and Panther Jace Anderson hit on a drive, pull up and a 10'-floater over several or more defenders just as the buzzer ended the first quarter of play. Saco/Whitewater led 13-9. Hooda thunk it?
The second quarter showed both teams scoring 7 points each. For Saco, Robinson hit a trey, Bergtoll made a 12'-jumper and it was Bergtoll again with a hard-fought for offensive rebound and put back. Snare hit a 3 for Scobey, Hansen and Love hit deuces. Half time score was Saco/Whitewater 20, Scobey 16.
The Panthers, after their mid-game snack of raw Gnu liver flown in direct from the Bergtoll Ranch on the Frenchman North of Saco, put on a clinic in the ensuing eight minutes and behind Bergtoll with a trey and Anderson with ball-handling wizardry, the Panthers amassed a 12-point lead after 24 minutes of play, outscoring the Spartans 14-6 in this quarter. Although there was no quit in the Spartans, it seemed the lid was on the bucket and they had that ol' “Duck in the headlight look” about them.
The Panther parents and faithful followers in the stands (Why do we “sit” in the “stands')” smelled blood in the fourth quarter and their cubs jumped out to a 24-point lead midway through the final stanza and held on to most of that lead.
Austin Hagan grabbed a rebound for the Spartans and put it back up and in as did Ethan Aldrich, but it was Saco/Whitewater wire-to-wire this night, and coming off the bench 5'12” freshman McCall Lammerding of the Panthers put the finishing touches on this masterpiece by grabbing an offensive rebound and putting it back up and in at the buzzer for the final tally of the game. (McCall had a grand total of 43 seconds of playing time by the by).
The pre-season “most unlikely to win the championship” Saco/Whitewater Panther/Penguins have put the capper on the 2010 Boys' 3C District Tournament by hefting the heavy metal in victory over the Scobey Spartans by the final score of 57-36.
For the vanquished Scobey Spartans, Logan Hansen was high scorer with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and had one blocked shot.
Off the bench TJ Snare scored 7 points and a couple of boards. Taylor Plante had 4 points and five boards. Doug States and Kale Love added 3 points each. Drew Baldry had 2 points and grabbed five rebounds.
More bench scoring came for the Spartans with Aldrich and Hagan scoring a deuce each.
Scoring for the victorious Saco/Whitewater Panthers was as follows:  Jace Anderson scored a game-high 23 on 10-of-12 from the charity stripe, 5-of-7 field goals, only 1-of-5 from the 3-point range and added five assists and one steal for a monster game.
Blaise Bergtoll unleashed a monster of his ownself, scoring 15, which included two 3-pointers, 4-of-7 from FG range, he grabbed a game leading 14 rebounds, blocked three shots and stole once. How good can this kid get in the next two years?
Kurt DePuydt scored 8 points and took down three rebounds and made his presence felt in the middle by blocking the driving lanes from the Spartans.
If Brennan Simpson can keep those saddle broncs from stomping him senseless, he will be a factor in his senior year, which is coming up. Working on a couple injured knees he contributed 3 points, grabbed five rebounds and stole the sphere once.
Cole Robinson added 3 points, four rebounds and two assists. Grant Christopherson tallied 2 pernts and took down two rebounds.
Sean Moore did a great job with these kids after the resignation of Saco head coach Greg Sheele, and from all reports I have, it seems he may by back next year in the head coach position.
The Saco Panthers had a 12-year going-to-divisionals streak up to last year when they fell flat at districts. Saco Athletic Director Barry Malone told me today by phone that he is “hoping the streak starts again with this win.” He thought that “the last time the Panthers won District was in 2001 or '02.”
I say “well done” to the Saco/Whitewater Panthers for a good, if somewhat tumultuous year, and I wish you good hunting when you go to the Divisional Tournament in Malta in a couple weeks.
So, reporting from the Glasgow Scotty Field House, we close this 2010 Boys' District 3C Tournament.
That's it for now folks. Thanks for listening.