The Bulldogs sprung a hoops ambush on Powell Friday, sending the Panthers home from Lovell with a 53-44 defeat in the final game of the regular season.

The Panthers (8-11 overall, 1-5 in Class 3A Northwest) led by four points going into the final period. However, Lovell (5-14, 1-5) finished strong, outscoring Powell 23-10 in the fourth quarter to take the win.

Once again Powell’s season-long top scorers led the way. Juniors Landon Lengfelder and Mason Marchant put up 17 and 11 respectively. Lengfelder hit three of his team’s four 3-pointers.

Bulldog juniors Zeke Newman and C.J. Pickett netted 13 and 11.

The Panthers had the best of it at the line, shooting 10-14 to Lovell’s 7-13.

Rebounds were 24-22 favoring Powell, which was led by Jesse Brown and Adrian Geller with five apiece. Aidan Jacobsen dished a team-high four assists.

The game was a reversal from late January, when the Powell High School boys had beaten Lovell by 11.

The squads both travel to Lyman on Thursday for day one of the three-day, Class 3A West Regional tournament.

The Panthers’ first challenge is Big Piney, which is 15-6 overall and a one-point winner over PHS late in the regular season. The Panthers and Punchers tip off at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.

Among the eight teams at the tournament — Powell, Lovell, Big Piney, Lander, Pinedale, Mountain View, Lyman and Worland — four will advance to next week’s state competition to face the top teams from the eastern half of the class. The eastern teams — Douglas, Torrington, Wheatland, Rawlins, Hot Springs County, Buffalo, Burns and Newcastle — are playing their regional tournament in Newcastle. To make state, teams must win two games at regionals before losing two; otherwise, their seasons will come to the end.

Lovell 53, Powell 44

Powell — Lengfelder 17, M. Marchant 11, Brown 7, Jacobsen 4, Geller 3, Toran Graham 2.

Lovell — Newman 13, Pickett 11, Nichols 8, Mayes 8, Harris 6, James 4, Abraham 3.