PHS girls ready to battle

Posted 3/5/09

They're all jockeying for four tickets to the state tournament in Casper next week.

The rules of the regional contest, held in Worland this year, are simple. Win twice, and you're headed to the Casper Events Center for a shot at the state title. …

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PHS girls ready to battle

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{gallery}03_05_09/savannahdonarski{/gallery}Lady Panther Savannah Donarski (second from right) and her teammates will carry a No. 2 ranking into the Class 3A West Regional Tournament, which begins today (Thursday) in Worland. Tribune photo by David Dickey Squad seeks return to state tourneyEight girls basketball teams will do battle this weekend in Worland at the Class 3A West Regional Tournament, and Powell High School head coach Luke Danforth expects plenty of stiff competition.“I really think the top seven teams will have a shot,” he said.

They're all jockeying for four tickets to the state tournament in Casper next week.

The rules of the regional contest, held in Worland this year, are simple. Win twice, and you're headed to the Casper Events Center for a shot at the state title. Lose twice, and you're done for the season.

The Lady Panthers (18-2 overall, 12-2 in conference play) begin their post-season tonight (Thursday) with a 7 p.m. matchup against Worland's Lady Warriors.

PHS, ranked second in Class 3A, holds the No. 2 seed in the regional tourney after a stellar season.

“I'm very pleased with where we sit,” said Coach Danforth. “The girls worked hard for a good seeding.”

Worland (9-12, 3-11) is no stranger to the Lady Panthers. Powell dealt the Lady Warriors two defeats this season — a 48-38 setback on Jan. 30 and a 59-32 thumping last week.

But Coach Danforth said he's expecting a tougher contest against the Lady Warriors this time around. For one thing, WHS hopes to return their injured point guard.

“Even though it's a rematch, it will be a different team,” Coach Danforth said.

He also expects there will be plenty of Worland fans looking to support their team through the tourney.

However, added the coach, a good number of Lady Panther fans are likely to make the trip south as well. He said Powell's support of the PHS girls has been a boost for the team this season.

Solid play hasn't hurt, either.

The squad's bread-and-butter has been its defense — ranked as one of the stingiest in the entire state.

“I think our defense bodes well for us,” said Coach Danforth. “Come tournament time, I think those teams with good defense tend to do well.”

The Lady Panthers gave up fewer than 31 points a game this season, on average, and tallied more steals than baskets allowed.

On the offensive side, the team has been led by their two junior post players — Hannah Pollart and Savannah Donarski. Pollart is averaging 13.8 points a game, fresh off a season-best 24-point performance against Cody.

Donarski has registered an average of 10.7 points this season and leads the team in averaging 8.6 rebounds a contest.

Combined, the duo has provided more than half of the team's total points.

The Lady Panthers also will count on seniors Darcee Lynn (5.2 points a game, 3.5 rebounds), Kelsey Allen (5.1 points) and McKenzie Danforth (3.8 points). Danforth, along with Pollart, is among Class 3A's leaders in assists, averaging 3.9 a game. Powell also sports a deep bench, led statistically by sophomore Leslie Thronburg (5.1 points, 4 rebounds).

For the Panthers to emerge as the West Conference's top team this weekend, it will likely take another victory over the No. 1 seeded Lady Broncs of Jackson (20-2 overall, 13-1 West Conference).

Coach Danforth called the Broncs “the team with the target on their back.”

PHS dealt the two-time defending state champs their only 3A loss this year. After falling 41-28 to Jackson early in the season, the Lady Panthers emerged victorious in a 35-34 thriller on Feb. 6.

But since that date, no team has come to close beating the Lady Broncs, who ride a six-game winning streak and carry Class 3A's top ranking into regionals.

The other contenders in Class 3A's West Conference are Lovell (13-8, 8-6), Lyman (11-10, 8-6), Kemmerer (10-12, 7-7), Cody (12-9, 5-9) and Pinedale (3-19, 0-14).

Other than Pinedale, Coach Danforth said he wouldn't be surprised to see any of the squads emerge on top.

That includes his own.

“The girls should feel good about their potential and their opportunity to do well,” he said.

If Powell beats Worland Thursday night, they will play the winner of a Lovell-Cody matchup. If they were to suffer a loss, they would play the loser of the Lovell-Cody game.

The full tournament bracket is available online at http://tinyurl.com/cezul3.

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