Still perfect
Bergman kicked off 2022 the same way it ended 2021 – with another rousing victory.
The Lady Panthers, Class 3A’s No. 1 team, ran their winning streak to 22 games after picking up an impressive 66-49 road victory over Valley Springs in front of a huge crowd Tuesday.
The final results unfolded in similar fashion as the previous 21 games for Bergman (22-0, 2-0 3A-1).
The Lady Panthers, who welcomed back all five starters from last season’s team that finished 37-2 and reached the semifinals, have won all of their contests by at least 10 points. Bergman’s nine road wins have come by an average of 26 points, and it’s beaten teams from five of the state’s six classifications.
“When we play someone, you’re either going to get two things,” Bergman Coach James Halitzka explained. “They’re either going to lay down because they’re terrified and know what’s coming. Or you’re going to get a home run swing because the other team has nothing to lose, knowing that if they knock you off, it’s their biggest win of the season.
“And with Valley Springs, we knew what kind of game we were going to get. They’re going to go 100% constantly, and when we play them, they’re gonna play harder. We just had to weather their storm.”
Bergman eventually did that, just like it’s done all year.
The game was tied at 12-12 with 5:33 left in the second quarter until Bergman pulled ahead 28-21 by halftime after capitalizing on some dribbledrive opportunities.
Incidentally, it was that same execution by Valley Springs that Halitzka said hurt his team in the first half.
“Early, we jumped on them like 7-0, and they found back,” he said of the Lady Tigers. “We sometimes get frustrated and let people bob and weave with the ball. With no shot clock and after about 30 seconds, we tend to gamble and reach too much, and we did that in the first half.
“We were overplaying and gave up a few too many easy lay-ups. But in the second half, we were a lot more disciplined and got more of what we wanted on offense and defense.”
The Lady Panthers did begin shutting off Valley Springs’ paths to the basket, particularly in that third quarter. Bergman outscored its rivals 20-12 in the period and remained steady throughout the fourth to win going away.