With half a second left, Panther junior Jhett Schwahn sank a pair of free throws to send the No. 4-ranked Powell boys’ basketball team to a 51-49 victory against rival Cody on Friday night to end a grueling, physical rivalry game.

POWELL 51, CODY 49

Heading into the Friday night game in Cody, the Panthers (2-2) looked to establish a tone early against a physical, tall Bronc (2-3) opposition.

Early on Powell absorbed the pressure, maintaining a small 4-2 lead before the first timeout from coach Mike Heny three minutes into the game.

“I thought the kids did a great job being aggressive and matching the physicality of the game instead of letting it bother them,” Heny said. “Our practices are also pretty physical so I feel like the kids can adjust to pretty much any style of play once the flow of the game gets established.”

Out of the timeout Cody came out in a three-quarter court press, forcing the Panthers to speed up.

The Broncs took advantage of three 3-pointers by Grady McCarten to take the lead and push it out to 16-11 after the first quarter.

Powell scored the first five points out of the gate in the second, tying the game at 16.

Cody reclaimed a five point lead at 25-20, but was unable to separate from the Panthers.

With under a minute left in the quarter, Alex Jordan was fouled from behind and a subsequent technical on Wilkins Radakovich gave the Panthers four free throws.

Powell went 1-4 at the line, but still only trailed 27-25 heading into the half.

Cody again built the lead up in the third quarter, leading 38-32 with 2:51 remaining in the quarter.

The Panthers cut the lead down to a single possession, trailing 40-37 going into the fourth.

“We preach to the kids that defense travels and keeps you in games when the offense is struggling or the other team is limiting easy baskets,” Heny said. “Each time Cody got away from us a little we were able to come up with a stop on defense when we really needed it.”

Powell reclaimed the lead for the first time since the first quarter at 43-42 before Cody took the lead back on the next possession.

A 3-pointer by Gunnar Erickson gave the Panthers a two-point lead. They wouldn’t trail again.

Missed free throws down the stretch saw the game remain tight heading into the final minute.

Free throws made by Cody with 20 seconds left made it a two-point game, and a turnover by the Panthers gave the Broncs the ball back.

A missed 3-pointer was put back in by Radakovich to tie the game.

Powell got the ball down the court, but Cody nearly came up with a steal.

A hustle play by Schwahn near midcourt led to a foul with .5 seconds remaining in the game, sending him to the line.

He stepped up to the line and sank the first and the second giving Powell a two-point lead 51-49 heading into a timeout.

“It really looked like we were headed to a fourth straight overtime after they tied it at 49,” Heny said. “We weren’t able to execute a couple of plays and they took advantage. Fortunately, we got fouled on a kind of a busted play at the end and Jhett was able to step to the line and deliver.”

The long throw by Cody on the next inbounds was tipped and the game was over with the Panthers escaping with a 51-49 win.

Brock Johnson led the Panthers with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals. The Panthers finished 12-23 as a team from the free throw line.

WINTER BREAK

Powell now heads into the winter break with a .500 record, allowing the team to work over break before returning to the court in January.

“Winning against good teams is always a confidence boost and especially on the road versus a really good Cody squad,” Heny said.

The Panthers will return to the court for their home opener on Saturday, Jan. 7, against 2A Rocky Mountain.

POWELL 51, CODY 49

Offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Brock Johnson 19, Gunnar Erickson 13, Marshall Lewis 7, Jhett Schwahn 4, Alex Jordan 4, Trey Stenerson 2, Jace Hyde 2

Rebounds — Brock Johnson 7 (2), Jhett Schwahn 4 (1), Gunnar Erickson 3, Marshall Lewis 2, Trey Stenerson 1, Cade Queen 1, Alex Jordan 1 (1)

Assists — Brock Johnson 5, Jhett Schwahn 3, Cade Queen 1, Gunnar Erickson 1

Steals — Brock Johnson 5, Marshall Lewis 2, Trey Stenerson 1, Cade Queen 1, Gunnar Erickson 1, Alex Jordan 1

Blocks — Trey Stenerson 1