Two final contests allowed the Powell Panther boys’ basketball team to finish the season on a high note — defeating Lovell on the road Thursday 50-46 before cruising past Thermopolis on Saturday 68-33.

POWELL 50, LOVELL 46

Needing a win to secure the No. 2 seed on Thursday the Panthers (14-6 overall, 4-2 3A Northwest) went into a defensive battle with the Bulldogs (9-11 overall, 2-4 3A Northwest).

Going up against a strong defensive team meant the Panthers had to search for ways to find baskets at the rim, and they found some success early with Trey Stenerson and Brock Johnson.

Powell took a 13-9 lead into the second, and maintained a narrow 26-21 lead going into the locker room.

Lovell came out in the third quarter and cut into the lead, eventually tying the game at 37 going into the final frame.

Grinding out close wins has been common for the Panthers this season, who were able to hold off the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter for the 50-46 win and claim the No. 2 seed.

“The kids just kept moving the ball and finding the right shots,” coach Mike Heny said. “We were able to get a lot of stops on defense which kept the score close until we were able to finally make a few shots and get the lead for good. It was a long night for sure and Lovell is a tough place to play.”

Stenerson and Johnson both finished with 14 points with Stenerson adding eight rebounds in the effort.

POWELL 68, THERMOPOLIS 33

After the victory on Thursday the Panthers had one more game in the regular season, returning home on Saturday to take on Thermopolis (4-18 overall, 0-6 3A Northwest).

The Panthers came out with a purpose from the tip, with Stenerson getting the first basket of the game.

That basket led to a quick 7-0 lead in just over a minute.

Thermopolis worked its way back into the game 7-5, before Powell quickly extended the lead out to double digits 18-5 to end the first quarter.

“We executed at a high level offensively against Thermopolis,” Heny said. 

The lead quickly swelled in the second quarter, with Powell pushing it out over 20 points and taking a 37-11 lead into halftime.

Powell was able to cruise in the second half, forcing more than 20 turnovers from the Bobcats while finishing with only four as a team — with all four turnovers being offensive fouls.

“Taking care of the ball is always important for us and to finish with only four turnovers is a great stat line,” Heny said. “It was a really good performance from all the kids and a great way to finish the regular season on senior night. Jace [Hyde] played great and it was awesome to get the win for him in his last game in the Panther gym.”

Johnson led the Panthers with 12, alongside Marshall Lewis as the other Panther in double figures.

REGIONAL TOURNEY

Powell now heads out on the road, looking to qualify for the state tournament at the 3A West Regional Tournament in Mountain View starting Thursday.

The Panthers start the tournament against Pinedale (10-11 overall, 3-3 3A Southwest) at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, with the teams having split the season series so far.

“Pinedale is a tough matchup in the opening round,” Heny said. “They match up with us really well at all five positions and it’s going to take a solid effort for us to get past them.”

Powell will then play at either 7 p.m. or noon on Friday depending on the result, against either Lyman (15-6 overall, 5-1 3A Southwest) or Thermopolis. Teams need to win two games at regionals to advance to state.

“We are just looking for continued improvement in our execution in all three phases heading into regionals,” Heny said. “We still feel like our best basketball is ahead of us, but it’s going to take all the kids playing well to get to state.”

POWELL 50, LOVELL 46

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Brock Johnson 14, Trey Stenerson 14, Marshall Lewis 9, Jace Hyde 4, Gunnar Erickson 4, Alex Jordan 3, Jhett Schwahn 2

Rebounds — Trey Stenerson 8 (4), Gunnar Erickson 5, Jhett Schwahn 4 (1), Brock Johnson 3 (2), Jace Hyde 3 (1), Cade Queen 3 (2), Marshall Lewis 2, Alex Jordan 1

Assists — Gunnar Erickson 4, Brock Johnson 3, Trey Stenerson 2, Jhett Schwahn 2, Jace Hyde 1

Steals — Brock Johnson 3, Gunnar Erickson 2, Alex Jordan 1

Blocks — Marshall Lewis 2, Trey Stenerson 1

POWELL 68, THERMOPOLIS 33

Points — Brock Johnson 12, Marshall Lewis 10, Jace Hyde 9, Gunnar Erickson 9, Jhett Schwahn 6, Alex Jordan 6, Tevon Schultz 5, Trey Stenerson 4, Cade Queen 4, Keona Wisniewski 3

Rebounds — Gunnar Erickson 6 (4), Brock Johnson 5 (1), Trey Stenerson 5 (1), Jhett Schawhn 4 (1), Marshall Lewis 3, Cade Queen 2 (1), Evan Whitlock 1, Keona Wisniewski 1, Alex Jordan 1, Tevon Schultz 1

Assists — Jhett Schwahn 5, Brock Johnson 4, Evan Whitlock 3, Cade Queen 3, Gunnar Erickson 2, Jace Hyde 1, Dawson Griffin 1

Steals — Brock Johnson 4, Gunnar Erickson 2, Marshall Lewis 1, Jace Hyde 1, Jhett Schawhn 1, Cade Queen 1, Alex Jordan 1