The girls’ basketball teams from Worland and Lander were ranked way up there in Class 3A, however both schools’ boys are rated even higher on the hoops ladder by Wyoming MaxPreps.

The Warriors came into the Panther Gym Friday rated No. 1 in the state, with the Tigers arriving from Lander on Saturday with No. 2 ranking. Worland escaped in a screamer, 62-57. Lander enjoyed more breathing room in a 59-37 victory.

“We will have to get better at playing against size,” said PHS head coach Chase Kistler. “Both Worland and Lander are good teams with a lot of athletic ability.”

Worland 62, Powell 57

Worland handily beat the Panthers, 83-51, at the previous week’s Big Horn Basin Classic championship game, but things were different Friday.

“I saw a lot of improvement from five days before,” Kistler said of the “very physical” game.

The Panthers came out with jaws set and took early leads at 7-2 and 9-4. They were aided by a dazzling layup off the break by Mason Marchant — which could not have happened without a pinpoint assist from teammate Jesse Brown.

By the end of the first period, the Warriors had regained their balance and tied it at 9-all. They built up a lead in the second period before Landon Lengfelder hit a pair of 2-pointers in the final minutes of the quarter. When Marchant scored on a double-clutching, flying drive right through the Worland defense, the half ended with the No. 1 Warriors up just nine, 31-22.

It was still an 11-point game after Brown scored on a stick-back offensive rebound in the final 30 ticks of the third, which ended with Worland up 46-35.

Deep in the fourth, the Panthers used a series of fouls and makes to get right back in it.

Lengfelder banked in a 3-pointer and Marchant hit two of three free throw attempts with 19.5 seconds remaining to draw the Panthers within just seven, 61-54.

Immediate fouls by Powell followed by brick after brick at the line from the Warriors in the very late stages nearly turned the trick. Lengfelder drained a final three in the final 10 seconds but time ran out on the Panthers. Panting Worland left the floor with the skinny, five-point decision.

“I was proud of the team to compete to the end,” said Kistler, adding that “we had multiple guys step up and contribute.”

Lengfelder “hit some big shots,” the coach said. He led Powell with 22 points on five 3-pointers, three twos and a free throw while grabbing eight rebounds; Brown also had eight boards.

Marchant contributed 16 on a half-dozen field goals from two and 4-7 at the stripe to go with five rebounds. Toran Graham had six points off the bench.

As a team the Panthers converted eight of 14 free throw chances.

The Panthers out-scored Worland 22-16 in the final period, however that fell short of overcoming the Warriors’ 22-13 cushion in the second.

Luke Mortimer’s 20 paced Warrior scoring.

“We had high turnovers but I felt that our defense played a lot better, with more energy which led to better scoring opportunities,” said Kistler, praising the “extremely hard” defensive play of Aidan Jacobsen, who had five assists.

Lander 59, Powell 37

A slow start against second-ranked Lander was not what the vet prescribed for the Panthers, but that’s exactly what transpired.

The Tigers held Powell off the scoreboard entirely until an offensive rebound went in for Jaden Marchant with 3 seconds left in a first period that ended 15-2 Lander.

The Panthers got off the slide enough to plant 16 on the “Home” side of the scoreboard at halftime, but still trailed by 14, with Lander leading 30-16. It was 40-26 after three.

“They [the Tigers] are a hard team for us to match up with,” said Kistler. “The second day of games seemed to have us with less energy, and [it] was hard to really get in any rhythm, but I did see some positives at times.”

Mason Marchant led Powell with 12 points on four 2-pointers and 4-6 shooting at the line. He also had eight rebounds. Adrian Geller added nine points.

The Panthers had a goose egg in the 3-point field goal column for the contest while the Tigers hit three. Field goals inside the arc totaled 21 for Lander to Powell’s 13 and that proved the difference.

Trayshon Spoonhunter topped the scoring column for Lander with 14 points.

Powell hosts Lovell in the Panther Gym this Friday at 7 p.m.

Worland 62, Powell 57

Worland — Mortimer 20, Page 16, Wyman 7, Sanford 6, Schmeltzer 5, Garay 4, Anderson 2, Douzenis 2.

Powell — Lengfelder 22, M. Marchant 16, Graham 6, Brown 4, Sessions 4, Jacobsen 2, J. Marchant 2, Groves 1.

Lander 59, Powell 37

Lander — Spoonhunter 14, St. Clair 11, Black 10, Herford 9, T. Guina 6, Anderson 5, O’Neal 4.

Powell — M. Marchant 12, Geller 9, Brown 5, J. Marchant 4, Graham 4, Lengfelder 2, Groves 1.