Despite a spirited comeback, the Powell High School girls junior varsity basketball team couldn’t quite catch up to Thermopolis on Friday, falling 36-33.

The home loss followed a 43-37 overtime win in Burlington on Feb. 11, putting the Panthers’ record at 6-7 overall.

Thermopolis 36, Powell 33

The visiting Bobcats used a 17-1 run to build up a 23-6 lead on the Powell JV late in the second quarter, but the Panthers rallied.

“We crawled back to 36-33 and had a look at a 3-pointer to tie the game late but it didn’t go for us,” said PHS JV coach Troy Hildebrand. “Everyone really stepped up the defense and as always, that carried over to some easy chances on offense. Once we converted a few of those the girls really fed off of that momentum as they worked their way back into this game.”

The coach described himself as “really impressed and proud of how this group never backs down and continues to battle whether we are up or down in every game.”

Kami Jensen scored 12 points — including nine in the fourth quarter — “and was once again a real spark defensively”; Kaili Wisniewski had seven points in a “very solid game”; and Rylnn Valez had six “really quick” points in the third quarter, Hildebrand said. Maddie Campbell had four points, while Anna Bartholomew and Abi Urbach each had two.

Powell 43, Burlington 37 (OT)

The Panther JV fell behind 15-4 at Burlington on Feb. 11. However, “the girls did a nice job of battling back,” Hildebrand said, and trailed just 21-20 at halftime. Jensen helped spur the run, scoring eight points in the rally.

Still, the JV trailed 28-26 going into the fourth quarter.

“We were finally able to tie it after Addison Braten hit two key [free throws] and then Maddie Campbell converted both ends of a crucial one-and-one in the final minute,” Hildebrand said.

In overtime, Campbell, Jensen, Jayden Asher and Wisniewski “really carried the pressure defense over and used those turnovers to create fast break lay-ups” for the 43-37 win, the coach said.

“Overall 10 of our 11 players scored and everyone stepped up on defense when we needed a couple stops to have a chance to get to overtime,” Hildebrand added.

Scoring — Jensen 12, Campbell 11, Valdez 4, Braten 4, Asher 2, Bartholomew 2, Sarah Dunkerley 2, Megan Jacobsen 2, Urbach 2, Wisniewski 2.