Boys basketball gains experience in Buffalo

Posted 12/13/16

“Found out a lot about our players, what their strengths and weaknesses are,” said head coach Chase Kistler. “Just like every other Powell Panther team, they never give up fighting — always competing no matter the score.”

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Boys basketball gains experience in Buffalo

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The Panther boys basketball team kicked off the season with a win and two losses at the East/West Classic Tournament in Buffalo. The Powell High School team lost to Rawlins (60-53) and Buffalo (40-26), before beating Newcastle 54-44.

“Found out a lot about our players, what their strengths and weaknesses are,” said head coach Chase Kistler. “Just like every other Powell Panther team, they never give up fighting — always competing no matter the score.”

The Panthers faced three very different teams: Rawlins was tall, athletic and quick; Buffalo had a lot of depth and Newcastle hustled, playing in an almost “panic mode” the entire game, Kistler said.

He added that, across the three games, “Our defense played pretty really well for our first time out.”

The tournament started for the Panthers on Friday night with a matchup against Rawlins.

Powell trailed Rawlins by 20 points at the start of the fourth quarter, but clawed back to within two points before losing 60-53.

Rawlins sealed its seven-point victory with a 3-point shot followed by a layup right at the end of the game.

“It wasn’t until the second half that our guys actually kind of settled and actually started playing some basketball,” said Kistler. “They were really nervous coming out.”

While the Panthers have a lot of returning players, most have not played an entire varsity game, if at all.

“We played well against them,” Kistler said of the season-opener.

The Panthers out-rebounded the Outlaws, but PHS’ 24 turnovers — versus Rawlins’ 19 — contributed to the loss.

Carson Heinen led with 18 points, followed by Kaelan Groves with 10.

On Saturday, Powell first faced off against Buffalo, losing 40-26.

Buffalo took the lead late in the first quarter and never gave it up.

“Was just a matter of we couldn’t score, really,” Kistler said of the loss. “Had great looks, great shots. We just couldn’t score.”

As a part of the offensive struggles, Powell made only 17 of 35 attempts from the free throw line.

Heinen led the Panthers with eight points; Groves was just behind with seven.

With the lead, Buffalo controlled the game, spreading the Panther defense out, slowing the game down and taking a methodical approach. The Panthers had to play tough on defense with their shots not falling.

“It was definitely a defensive game,” said Kistler of the low-scoring affair.

After Buffalo, the Panthers took on Newcastle Saturday evening where Powell would get its victory for the weekend winning 54-44.

Against both Newcastle and Buffalo, the entire bench played.

“Trying to get experience,” said Kistler. “See different combinations of players.”

Jace Smith led with 19 points and Heinen had 11.

Kistler felt it was a good weekend overall that highlighted where improvements need to be made and showed the level of play needed to compete.  As a coach, he said he learned some things about his players, too.

The Panthers have a short turnaround, as both the boys and girls travel to Lovell today (Tuesday). The boys play at 7 p.m. and girls at 5:30 p.m.

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