PHS claims third win of seasonWith one starter sitting on the bench in street clothes and two others seated there due to fouls, the Powell Panthers found a way in the waning seconds to overcome a seemingly endless parade of free throws and a persistent Mountain View team 57-52 in 3A West boys' basketball action on Saturday. Sophomore Chase Partridge connected on three out of four foul shots in the final 34 seconds to help Powell breathe free.

“That was an interesting game,” Panther head coach Mike Heny said of a game that many times resembled a free throw derby after Powell and the Buffaloes combined to attempt 62 foul shots. “The way the game was going made it tough to get into any sort of rhythm.”

With Mountain View accounting for 38 of those foul shots, it also made things tough on a Panther team that was without the services of senior David Starcevich. Starcevich, a season-long starter for the Panthers, suffered an injury the night before when he was fouled on a drive and landed awkwardly on the floor the previous night against Lyman.

“We had some matchups that we wanted to use, but due to the injury to David and the foul situation, we had to use other guys in those roles,” said Heny. “It was a tough game. The kids really overcame a lot and sometimes you have to do that.”

Early on, it didn't appear the Panthers would have to worry about much. The team responded to an early Mountain View bucket with a string of 12 consecutive points to grab a double-digit lead.

The Panthers stretched that gap to 13 points, 19-6, early in the second quarter before the Buffaloes found life. A 9-0 run by Mountain View drew the visiting team back within four and the teams went to their locker rooms for halftime with the Panthers leading by that same margin, 28-24.

Another 9-0 run to open the second half provided Mountain View with their second lead of the game and presented Heny with a decision.

“The night before when Lyman made a run at us, I called a quick time out and it was like ‘oh no, here we go again,'” said Heny. “This time I held off and wanted to see if the kids would work through it on their own.”

They did, thanks in no small part to the efforts of senior A.J. Anderson. Anderson halted the Buffaloes' run by draining Powell's only 3-point bucket of the game, then followed with a steal and layup to tie the game. After a Mountain View miss, Anderson was there to hit a 10-footer to give the lead back to the Panthers, 35-33.

Powell never trailed from that point on, but the Panthers rarely had a moment to relax either. The Panthers tried to duplicate their early-game effort to break the game open, grabbing a 48-41 lead early in the fourth quarter as Jacob Beuster came off the bench for four quick points. Mountain View carved the gap to 48-47 with a bucket with 5:31 remaining.

That basket turned out out to be the Buffaloes' last. Mountain View missed its final seven shots from the floor against the Panthers' defense, but hit enough free throws to stay dangerously close.

Mountain View missed on three opportunities to tie the game in the final 90 seconds. Partridge, held to just six points in the first three quarters, knocked down a pair of free throws with 33.5 seconds — part of an eight-point fourth quarter effort — to put Powell ahead 56-52. Partridge added another foul shot with 16.1 seconds remaining to seal the game.

Anderson ended the night with 19 points to lead Powell. Partridge added 14 points while Billy Harshman had eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Saturday's win salvaged a weekend split for the Panther boys, who fell 51-43 to Lyman on Friday night.

Lyman jumped to a quick 7-0 lead in that game, but the Panthers chipped away. Harshman's basket three minutes into the second quarter gave Powell a 12-11 lead and the Panthers continued to hold a 20-17 margin at halftime.

Powell's lead was 26-22 when Lyman uncorked an 11-0 run to close out the third quarter to take control of the contest. The Eagles' control of both the offensive and defensive glass contributed heavily to the pivotal run.

A 3-point bucket early in the fourth quarter gave Lyman a 40-28 lead, the Eagles' largest of the night. Powell drew within six points, 42-36, with 2:55 remaining, but Lyman was able to re-establish a double-digit lead down the stretch.

Partridge finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds as the only Panther in double figures. Anderson added nine points while Regan Soloai stepped off the bench for six fourth-quarter points as the Panthers attempted their rally.

“I'm glad we were able to win one, but at the same time I thought we could have won against Lyman as well,” Heny said. “I'm proud of the way the kids battled, but we still need to work on doing the right things at the right time.”

Powell travels to Lander on Friday for its only action this week.

Lyman 51, Powell 43

Individual scoring: David Starcevich 2, Cooper Wise 2, Zane Bushnell 2, Josh Cragoe 6, Regan Soloai 6, A.J. Anderson 9, Billy Harshman 4, Chase Partridge 12.

Team leaders: Partridge (10 rebounds), Harshman (7 rebounds).

Powell 57, Mountain View 52

Individual scoring: Cooper Wise 3, Zane Bushnell 3, Josh Cragoe 4, A.J. Anderson 19, Billy Harshman 8, Chase Partridge 14, Jacob Beuster 6.

Team leaders: Harshman (9 rebounds), Partridge (7 rebounds)