Two weeks off alongside time to practice paid off for the No. 5-ranked Powell Panther boys’ basketball team, running away from the Rocky Mountain Grizzlies in their home opener on Saturday 66-38.

POWELL 66, ROCKY MOUNTAIN 38

Starting out their first game in more than two weeks the Panthers (3-2) came out with a renewed focus offensively against the Grizzlies (5-4).

Powell came out strong early, knocking down 3-pointers to help free up the offense.

“Any time you can make a few outside shots early in the game it really opens up the floor and creates the spacing we want to run our offense,” coach Mike Heny said. “The kids have been doing a much better job in moving the ball and finding open shooters, so hopefully we can continue to capitalize on those outside shots going forward.”

Unfortunately for Powell, Rocky Mountain’s leading scorer Ben Simmons scored all seven of the opening points for the visitors — giving Powell only a small 8-7 lead.

In addition to the strong start by both teams, the Panthers were without leading scorer Brock Johnson for much of the first quarter after he picked up two early fouls.

Powell’s bench responded, with Jace Hyde coming in to be the leading scorer with 15 points in addition to three steals for the Panthers, and Alex Jordan chipping in nine points with Cade Queen adding two points.

“Although we don’t want to make a habit of having to play without Brock, we trust the kids we have to go in and get the job done,” Heny said. “Jace had a great game and it was awesome to see him get going offensively like he did. He’s a great kid and works really hard to contribute in ways that help the team.”

Powell continued to push the initiative in the second quarter despite Johnson’s third foul, pushing the lead out to double digits 33-21 at halftime.

Both teams exchanged baskets early in the second half, before a blood timeout and technical gave the Panthers the opportunity to push the lead out of reach.

Powell took advantage through good shot selection, and pushed the lead out to 20 going into the fourth quarter.

“We constantly talk about shot selection and that will be something we work on throughout the season,” Heny said. “We want the right shot from the right guy each possession if possible. We also want to give the kids the confidence and freedom to make plays. The kids are doing a great job of sharing the ball and hunting those shots and we were fortunate enough to make a lot of them against Rocky.”

Powell maintained its lead and pushed it out to finish with a 66-38 victory.

The Panthers finished shooting 57% from the field, as Gunnar Erickson (13) and Marshall Lewis (10) also finished as double-digit scorers.

BIG HORN BASIN CLASSIC

Powell will stay at home for the second weekend in a row, hosting the Big Horn Basin Classic with Rocky Mountain on Friday and Saturday.

“At this point of the season we are just looking for continued growth every day,” Heny said. “We still have a lot of things we can do better on offense, defense and in transition.”

The Panthers kick off their weekend Friday at 1:30 p.m. against 2A Greybull (6-2) and finish off with a game against 1A No. 2-ranked Burlington at 7:30 p.m.

Games on Saturday will be determined by Friday’s results.

POWELL 66, ROCKY MOUNTAIN 38

Offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Jace Hyde 15, Gunnar Erickson 13, Marshall Lewis 10, Brock Johnson 9, Alex Jordan 9, Trey Stenerson 8, Cade Queen 2

Rebounds — Trey Stenerson 7 (4), Gunnar Erickson 4, Brock Johnson 3 (1), Keona Wisniewski 3 (1), Alex Jordan 3 (1), Marshall Lewis 2, Jace Hyde 2 (2), Cade Queen 1

Assists — Jhett Schwahn 4, Brock Johnson 3, Cade Queen 2, Trey Stenerson 1, Gunnar Erickson 1, Alex Jordan 1

Steals — Jace Hyde 3, Brock Johnson 2, Trey Stenerson 1, Adam Williams 1, Gunnar Erickson 1