Two dominant defensive performances helped the Powell Panther boys’ basketball team continue its undefeated start to the season, defeating Cody 50-28 last Tuesday before defeating Lovell 54-29 on Thursday in a top five rematch.

POWELL 50, CODY 28

Heading on the road but close to home the Panthers (13-0 overall, 3-0 3A Northwest) made the trip to Cody on Tuesday, Jan. 23 to take on the Broncs (5-7 overall, 1-2 4A Northwest) looking for the season sweep.

Scoring was hard to come by early, as Powell led 6-4 midway through the first quarter before a basket plus the foul gave Cody the lead.

“Cody’s zone was really active and they were closing out on our shooters really well,” coach Mike Heny said. “We were a little impatient at times and had some uncharacteristic turnovers because of how well Cody was taking some of the passing lanes away.”

Cody was up 8-6 when a Keona Wisniewski 3-pointer gave Powell back the lead — this time for good.

Wisniewski hit another 3-pointer in the first, and the Panthers made it 12-8 by the end of the quarter.

His third 3-pointer kicked off the second, as Powell continued its run.

The Broncs finally got on the board again with 4:40 left in the half, but a layup by Brock Johnson helped Powell establish a double digit lead 1:30 later at 21-10.

That double-digit lead held as the Panthers led 23-13 going into the break.

Cody cut the lead down to 25-16 midway through the third, before Gunnar Erickson and Wisniewski found a way to break down the Bronc zone once again.

“Keona came in and really gave us a lift off the bench with his outside shooting,” Heny said. “Against a zone like that, outside shooting really helps to open things up since they have to stay more connected to shooters when you are hitting from the perimeter. Once we were able to do that, we were able to pull away in the second half.”

The lead quickly pushed out to 31-17 which forced a Cody timeout with 2:30 left.

Wisniewski’s fourth 3-pointer made it 36-20 late, and the Panthers finished with a 39-21 lead going into the fourth after Erickson added eight in the period.

Powell controlled the tempo early in the fourth quarter, maintaining the 16-point lead at 42-26 until 3:22 remained.

Johnson capped off the night for the starters, making it 45-26 with 2:15 left as the Panthers cruised late and finished with a 50-28 victory.

Johnson led with a 16 point, 12 rebound double-double along with five assists and four steals. Wisniewski added 12 and Erickson had 11.

POWELL 54, LOVELL 29

Thursday brought a new challenge, as the Panthers attempted to maintain their undefeated start against the team that has played them the closest thus far in the Bulldogs (12-4 overall, 2-1 3A Northwest).

The Panthers, ranked No. 1 in the WyoPreps Coaches and Media poll, survived the No. 3-ranked Bulldogs in the Big Horn Basin Classic championship game after Trey Stenerson hit a buzzer-beater to win 60-58 on Jan. 13.

In the rematch, strong defense kept either team from scoring early, as Marshall Lewis broke the deadlock three minutes into the game.

Powell made it 4-0 before Lovell called a timeout with 3:41 left in the first quarter.

“Lovell is a really good team and Owen Walker protects the rim really well,” Heny said. “It’s always a challenge to find open shots when we face a 1-3-1 defense and Lovell did a good job of forcing us off our spots.”

Offensive rebounding continued to be a positive for the Panthers alongside strong defense, helping Powell hold an 11-5 lead after the first quarter led by Johnson with five.

Lovell cut into the lead quickly to start the second, trailing 13-10 after 1:30.

Johnson and Erickson helped Powell take control, pushing the lead out to double-digits at 21-11 with three minutes left.

The Panthers held a 24-11 advantage at the break.

In the second half the Panthers ran into foul trouble and started turning over the ball, as Jhett Schwahn picked up his third early as the Bulldogs came out in a press that transitioned back into a zone.

Two turnovers gave the Bulldogs some momentum, but a timeout from Heny settled down the Panthers.

Three minutes into the quarter the Panthers re-established their 13 point advantage up 30-17, but Alex Jordan and Trey Stenerson had also picked up their third fouls.

Strong offensive rebounding kept giving the Panthers more possessions after a subpar performance at the charity stripe as a team.

“The biggest difference between the first Lovell game was our energy and effort on the defensive end of the floor,” Heny said. “The kids were really locked in and did a great job of forcing Lovell into a lot of tough shots.”

A Jordan 3-pointer with a minute left was just the momentum Powell needed to push far enough ahead, and a steal by Johnson leading to a basket plus the foul made it 41-23 going into the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter, a 3-pointer by Erickson with five minutes left pushed the lead over 20, and Powell never looked back en route to a 54-29 victory on the road.

“We emphasize taking one game at a time and our goal is to come out and play well on the defensive end each and every night,” Heny said. “Starting off conference play 3-0 is huge, especially getting one of those on the road.”

Johnson and Erickson tied for the team lead with 17 points, and Jordan finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, five of which were offensive.

Johnson also led with four assists and five steals.

SOUTHWEST ROAD TRIP

Powell now heads southwest as part of cross-quadrant action, starting with a game in Lander on Friday.

The Panthers routed the Tigers (3-9 overall, 1-1 3A Southwest) 61-34 in the opening game of the season, and will return to Lander for a second time at 7:30 p.m.

Powell will continue the trip further south, taking on the No. 4-ranked Pinedale Wranglers (8-4 overall, 3-0 3A Southwest) for the second time this season.

The Panthers defeated Pinedale in Lander during the opening weekend of the season 55-49.

“We still have a number of things we need to do better to put our best basketball together,” Heny said. “We still haven’t played at our best in all three phases for four full quarters. This week we have a big challenge as we head to Lander and Pinedale and we’ll need to be at our best in both contests.”

That game will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

POWELL 50, CODY 28

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Brock Johnson 16, Keona Wisniewski 13, Gunnar Erickson 11, Jhett Schwahn 5, Marshall Lewis 3, Cade Queen 2

Rebounds — Brock Johnson 12 (3), Trey Stenerson 6 (3), Gunnar Erickson 3 (2), Cade Queen 3 (1), Keona Wisniewski 2 (1), Alex Jordan 2, Marshall Lewis 1

Assists — Brock Johnson 5, Jhett Schwahn 3, Gunnar Erickson 3, Trey Stenerson 2, Marshall Lewis 1, Alex Jordan 1

Steals — Brock Johnson 4, Jhett Schwahn 2, Gunnar Erickson 2, Cade Queen 2, Marshall Lewis 1, Trey Stenerson 1

Blocks — Trey Stenerson 1, Keona Wisniewski 1

POWELL 54, LOVELL 29

Points — Brock Johnson 17, Gunnar Erickson 17, Alex Jordan 11, Trey Stenerson 3, Marshall Lewis 2, Nathan Preator 2, Cade Queen 2

Rebounds — Alex Jordan 9 (5), Brock Johnson 8, Gunnar Erickson 7 (3), Cade Queen 4 (2), Trey Stenerson 3 (1), Jhett Schwahn 3 (2), Nathan Preator 2 (1), Marshall Lewis 1, Keona Wisniewski 1, Dawson Griffin 1 (1)

Assists — Brock Johnson 4, Gunnar Erickson 2, Trey Stenerson 1, Jhett Schwahn 1, Alex Jordan 1

Steals — Brock Johnson 5, Gunnar Erickson 3, Trey Stenerson 1, Alex Jordan 1