After a hot start to the weekend defeating 2A No. 4-ranked Greybull 68-29 and 1A No. 2-ranked Burlington 64-38, the No. 4-ranked Powell Panther boys’ basketball team came up short in a tightly contested matchup at home against No. 2-ranked Lander in the Big Horn Basin Classic semifinal 54-48.

POWELL 68, GREYBULL 29

Kicking off the weekend, the Panthers (5-3) opened up with the hopes of setting a strong tone against Greybull (7-4).

Powell came out flat shooting the ball, but a strong defensive effort early allowed the Panthers to keep the score close down 6-3 with two minutes left in the first quarter.

“Our defensive intensity is something we are trying to bring to each and every game. We believe that defense travels and will keep us in games when our offense isn’t producing points,” coach Mike Heny said.

A 3-pointer by Brock Johnson tied the game 6-6, and that sparked what would turn into a 25-2 run that gave Powell a commanding 20-point lead with under two minutes left in the half.

The Panthers continued the strong scoring and pulled away from the Buffalos at the half with a 33-10 lead.

That run proved to be enough for the Panthers to create separation, cruising in the second half to secure the 68-29 opening game victory.

Johnson led the way with 21 pounds and eight rebounds, alongside Gunnar Erickson who was the other Panther in double figures with 14 points while leading the team with five assists.

POWELL 64, BURLINGTON 38

Heading into the final game of the night, the Panthers matched up with the Huskies (10-3) with the winner advancing to the semifinal on Saturday.

Powell again came out with a strong defensive intensity, but unlike the game earlier in the day the shots were falling early — helping the Panthers leap out to an 8-0 lead early.

That hot start continued and was paced by Marshall Lewis who finished with 21 points, with the Panthers building a 22-7 lead after the first.

Powell built on the lead, pushing it out to 21 heading into the locker room.

The Panthers continued to lead by more than 20, cruising in the second half to a 64-38 victory to advance to the semifinals on Saturday.

Erickson finished with 14 and Trey Stenerson finished with 11 as the other Panther in double figures.

LANDER 54, POWELL 48

After the pair of victories on Friday, the Panthers went into Saturday against a familiar opponent in Lander (7-3), putting a four game win streak on the line against a team the Panthers defeated 67-61 in overtime to open the season in December.

Both teams came out and battled early, with Lander dictating the pace through a strong press, zone and good dribble penetration to carry a 16-15 lead into the second quarter.

“Lander’s press didn’t create a lot of turnovers, but we let them dictate where the ball was going and we spent way too much time dribbling along the sideline instead of moving the ball with the pass,” Heny said.

Powell responded early in the second behind 10 first half points by Erickson, but the Panther’s seven-point lead in the second dwindled to one late, despite Lander’s leading scorer Abe Lopez being on the bench with two fouls.

Coming out of the break Lopez picked up his third foul early, but the Panthers were unable to take advantage and held a slight 42-39 lead heading into the fourth behind strong offensive rebounding that saw the Panthers grab 18 offensive rebounds in the game.

In the fourth quarter the two teams battled back and forth, with the Panthers unable to break down the Lander 2-3 zone and find easy baskets.

“We hadn’t seen any type of press or a zone that was as active as Lander’s for a month or so and we just didn’t adjust as well as I thought we would,” Heny said. “I need to do a better job during the game at times making sure the kids are all on the same page as well.”

Lander took the lead 48-47 with 2:31 left and kept the Panthers shooting cold in the fourth and pulled away for a 54-48 win.

Stenerson led the Panthers with a 12 point, 10 rebound game alongside Erickson who also finished with 12 points.

CONFERENCE START

Powell now starts out its conference slate for the 3A Northwest, heading on the road to Thermopolis (3-9) on Friday night at 7 p.m.

That will be followed by a contest at No. 3-ranked Worland (7-3) on Saturday, tipping off at 4 p.m.

Despite not playing either team in the BHB Classic the Panthers got a preview of both teams, watching them compete in the preliminary rounds or in the championship which Worland walked away with on Saturday.

“We didn’t play our best and I know we’ll play better than the Lander game this coming weekend,” Heny said. “Being able to scout our opponents live is always better than just watching film so we’ll have a good game plan going in.”

POWELL 68, GREYBULL 29

Offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Brock Johnson 21, Gunnar Erickson 14, Jace Hyde 8, Trey Stenerson 5, Jhett Schwahn 5, Cade Queen 5, Evan Whitlock 4, Alex Jordan 4, Marshall Lewis 2

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

Assists — Gunnar Erickson 5, Cade Queen 4, Keona Wisniewski 3, Trey Stenerson 2, Jhett Schwahn 2, Marshall Lewis 1, Brock Johnson 1

Steals — Jhett Schwahn 4, Gunnar Erickson 4, Cade Queen 2, Brock Johnson 1, Evan Whitlock 1, Trey Stenerson 1

POWELL 64, BURLINGTON 38

Points — Marshall Lewis 21, Gunnar Erickson 14, Trey Stenerson 11, Brock Johnson 7, Jace Hyde 4, Jhett Schwahn 3, Evan Whitlock 2, Cade Queen 2

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

Assists — Brock Johnson 5, Cade Queen 3, Jace Hyde 2, Jhett Schwahn 2, Gunnar Erickson 2, Marshall Lewis 1, Evan Whitlock 1, Trey Stenerson 1

Steals — Brock Johnson 7, Jhett Schwahn 4, Cade Queen 3, Trey Stenerson 2, Gunnar Erickson 2, Marshall Lewis 1, Evan Whitlock 1, Adam Williams 1, Jace Hyde 1

LANDER 54, POWELL 48

Points — Trey Stenerson 12, Gunnar Erickson 12, Jace Hyde 7, Marshall Lewis 6, Alex Jordan 5, Brock Johnson 3, Jace Hyde 2, Jhett Schwahn 1

Rebounds — Trey Stenerson 10 (5), Brock Johnson 7 (5), Alex Jordan 7 (2), Gunnar Erickson 4 (1), Marshall Lewis 3 (1), Jhett Schwahn 2, Cade Queen 2

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

Steals — Brock Johnson 5, Jace Hyde 2, Alex Jordan 2, Trey Stenerson 1, Cade Queen 1