lrsv-toga

By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
It was a cross-town quarrel Friday night when Saratoga boys basketball team headed to Baggs to tip off with the Little Snake River Valley Rattlers.
And when it was all said and done, the visiting Panthers left with a 73-60 win.
LSRV head coach Paul Pestrud said his team was in the game, but speed ended up biting the Rattlers.
“We did what we wanted,” Pestrud said, “except with one kid in David Capozzoli,” who finished with 27 points. Capozzoli, who is a track star in the spring, utilized his speed to get many open looks in the lane. “(Saratoga) must have had almost 16 points on layups,” Pestrud said of the well coached Panthers. “They simply out ran us.”
The Rattlers weren’t completely out-played. Cody Foster almost matched Capozzoli’s point total as Foster netted 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Logan Adams added 16 points and 10 rebounds for LSRV.
As for the Pestrud’s focus going into Friday night, he was looking to shut down Jake Johnston, Saratoga’s main big man. The pesky Rattler defense held him in check, allowing 14 points — five fewer than his season average.
“Our defense worked pretty good,” Pestrud said. The Rattlers got defense from an unexpecting character. Irving Guzman came off the bench and forced some turnovers, while scoring eight points offensively.
Saturday should be another tough test for LSRV. They head to St. Stephen’s at 3 p.m.
“It’s a whole new show up there,” Pestrud said of their coach leaving. “We really don’t know what they’re (like) ... but the kid’s like to go there. It’s a neat atmosphere.”