PHS boys fall to 1-4 after losing games Friday and Saturday

The Sheridan 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer seemed to be a fluke.

Instead, it was an omen.

The Broncs’ Dylan Daniels matched the feat at the end of the game, lifting Sheridan to a 59-56 win over the Powell High School boys basketball team Saturday afternoon at Panther Gym. The only differences between the two long-distance shots were that Daniels was even farther from the basket — and his bucket ended the game.

It also dropped the Panthers to 1-4 on the season as they lost their fourth straight contest. Powell fell 62-55 to Buffalo Friday night in the home opener of the 2014-15 campaign.

“They hit a tough shot,” said PHS head coach Chase Kistler after Saturday’s game. “Not much you can do about it.”

But Powell did have a chance to win the game or send it into overtime without giving the Broncs a shot to win it. The Panthers had the ball with 18.3 seconds to play and senior star Kalei Smith, who scored 30 points Saturday and 55 on the weekend, was given control after a time out.

After dribbling for 10 seconds, Smith drove to the baseline and went up for a shot but lost control of the ball. It went out of bounds and Sheridan was awarded the ball. Another time out was called, and Kistler had a clear message for his players: “Play good defense.”

They were doing just that when Daniels, a 6-foot senior who had made two of his first eight 3-point attempts, let fly from well past the stripe. The buzzer sounded as the shot went in. The looks on the faces of Kistler, his assistant coaches, the players and the Powell fans was all you needed to see to know who won the game.

“We should have beat them,” Kistler said. “We really controlled the game for the most part.”

Powell led 12-9 at the first break, and with Smith hot in the second quarter — he had 21 points at halftime — it went into the locker room with a 36-32 lead.

But Smith cooled down in the third period and no other Panther stepped up. Sheridan, a 4A school making a rare appearance in Powell, opened up a lead with some hot outside shooting before Powell rallied to tie the game at 46-46 after three periods.

The fourth quarter was fast-paced and marked by turnovers from Powell — at one point, Smith told his players, “I don’t need any showboating” — and a steady lead for Sheridan.

The Broncs led 52-46 with 6:09 to play and had control. Powell needed a defensive stop and it got one.

Then senior Carter Baxter, who had 13 points, 15 rebounds and three assists in a solid all-around performance, hit two free throws. Smith added a pair of driving shots and the game was knotted at 52-52.

Baxter scored again and junior Kaden Moore made the only shot he took all game off a nice pass from Baxter to tie the game at 56-56. Powell then forced a turnover but could not convert on its final shot.

Sheridan did, sending the Powell team and fans out into the cold without a win for the holidays.

Only four Panthers scored. Senior guard Zach Heny had seven points. Junior forward Jake Gallagher had four.

Blake Godwin paced Sheridan with 14 points and six rebounds. Zach Campbell had eight and Blake Baker added seven.

The Broncs, now 3-2 on the season, shot better from 3-point range — 10 of 25, 40 percent — than they did from closer in, where they were nine of 37, just 24 percent.

Powell shot fairly well, going 20 of 43 (47 percent) from within the circle and three of 10, all by Smith, from long range, good for 30 percent. Powell out-rebounded Sheridan 30-28 but the Panthers committed 14 turnovers to the Broncs’ eight.

Friday’s loss was much the same story, as Powell built an early lead but saw it dwindle and then vanish at the end of the game.

The Panthers jumped to a 31-25 lead at the half behind the production of its three primary scorers. Aside from Smith’s 25, Baxter added 13 and Heny had nine.

But there wasn’t a lot of help elsewhere. Starting senior guard Matt Sweet had a rough weekend shooting, scoring just two points Friday and none on Saturday. He usually teams with Heny to offer outside support, but Heny was ice-cold Friday, going two for 15 from the field.

Gallagher was also frigid in “The Igloo,” as Panther Gym is called, missing all four shots he took.

“We could use more scoring from other people,” Kistler admitted. Powell shot 13 of 44, 30 percent, from inside and was four of 15, 27 percent, from 3-point range. The Panthers committed 15 turnovers.

Gallagher did have eight boards Friday. Baxter and Smith paced Powell with 10 apiece.

Powell won the battle of the boards 42-31. Seth Thiele led Buffalo with 11 rebounds.

Mitchell Wilcox led the Bison comeback, hitting all four 3-pointers he tried — Buffalo was eight of nine from distance — and scoring 14 points overall. While Wilcox sniped away from outside, Trey Schroelfel led Buffalo with 20 points on seven hoops and six free throws.

Buffalo, 4-1 after another win Saturday, shot just 14 of 46 from inside the stripe, just 30 percent. The Bison committed 13 turnovers.

Kistler said it’s important to note that the Panthers are playing the best teams in the state right now. While 1-4 isn’t the start he wanted, he’s not ready to throw in the towel. Indeed, the second-year head coach spent most of the game teaching, working with the players and slapping hands with them after a good play.

“They’re as frustrated as I am right now,” Kistler said. “But we’re improving and we’re sticking together. I’m happy with the development we’ve had.”

The Panthers will enjoy a break over Christmas week before returning to practice Monday. They will next play in the Big Horn Basin Classic in Worland Jan. 9-10. Powell also started slow last season but things picked up after they won the tourney.