Chase Kistler talked with some of his team’s leaders Sunday. He had one question for them: How do you want to end this season?

The answer was clear — the Powell High School boys basketball team wants to go out as winners. To do that, they need to win their final three games at the Class 3A State Boys Basketball Tournament, which opens today (Thursday) in Casper.

The Panthers, 13-10 on the season, earned the berth by finishing second at the Class 3A West Regional Tournament last weekend in Lander. Powell edged Jackson and Cody in its first two games before falling to host Lander Valley in the title game.

“There are eight teams that are really good teams left,” Kistler said. “We’ve just got to finish this season well.”

PHS opens play at the Casper Events Center at noon against Buffalo, which finished third in the 3A East tourney and went 15-9 in the regular season, including a fourth-place finish in the 3A East regular with a 4-2 record.

The teams met twice this season, splitting the games. Buffalo won 62-55 in Powell on Dec. 19, but PHS got its revenge at the Big Horn Basin Classic on Jan. 10, winning 60-45.

Senior Kalei Smith scored 25 in both games, right at his state-leading average.

Statistically, the teams are similar: PHS averages 62 points a game and surrenders an average of 59. Buffalo averages almost 61 points and allows more than 58 points per contest.

Smith leads the Panthers with 25.7 points, followed by classmates Carter Baxter at 13.4 and Zach Heny at 11.7. Baxter was the leading rebounder at 8.2, followed by Smith at 7.5. Jake Gallagher, who has recovered from a right ankle injury, averaged 3.7 boards per contest.

Trey Schroefel, at 19.2 points per game, is the Bison’s leading scorer; Taylor Hepp is second at 7.7. Seth Thiele paces Buffalo with 5.7 rebounds per game; Hepp is second at 4.7 while Kevin Medders averages 4.6 boards.

However, the Bison are not a great shooting team, hitting 45 percent from 2-point range, 25 percent from outside the arc and just 53 percent from the line.

Powell converts 47, 34 and 64 percent, respectively, in those three categories.

“They’re a lot like Cody; they press and like to get layups,” Kistler said. “If they get layups, they’re a tough team to beat.”

Schroefel leads 3A in steals, averaging more than five per game, more than 1.9 per game more than the player behind him, Blaze Hinze of Cody.

The Panthers have faced presses all season, and Cody pestered the team with them in their three contests. But Kistler said he does not feel the Panthers need to change their game.

“Actually, the only thing the press does against us, our guys try to protect so much, we lose that aggressiveness to the basket,” he said. “We need to make teams pay a little more.”

Seniors Smith, Baxter, Heny and Matt Sweet have been starting lineup mainstays all season. Gallagher was usually the fifth man on the court at the tipoff, but Kistler said he will look at the opponent when he decides who starts and when players come off the bench.

“I look at it as match-ups,” he said.

PHS hopes to match up with opponents in the winners’ bracket Friday and Saturday nights. If Powell defeats Buffalo, they will play the winner of the Star Valley-Rawlins game or, if they lose, the team that also falls in opening-day action.