A picturesque buzzer-beater by Brock Johnson salvaged a 2-0 weekend for the No. 3-ranked Powell Panther boys’ basketball team — defeating No. 4-ranked Lander 53-52 on the near halfcourt heave Friday before running away from Pinedale 71-55 on Saturday.

POWELL 53, LANDER 52

Heading into the weekend the Panthers (10-4 overall, 2-1 3A Northwest) were looking for revenge in both matchups, starting with the Tigers (10-6 overall, 2-1 3A Southwest) who defeated Powell 54-48 in the Big Horn Basin Classic in January in Powell.

Lander came out strong on defense, once again flustering the Panthers on the offensive end, forcing turnovers and making Powell take difficult shots.

That helped the Tigers take a 9-7 lead after the first quarter.

In the second, Alex Jordan came off the bench to help spark the Panthers to a 14-11 lead, before Lander went on a 12-0 run to take a 23-14 lead.

“AJ [Jordan] and the rest of the bench were the difference on Friday night,” coach Mike Heny said. “AJ’s energy, along with Jace [Hyde] and Cade [Queen], gave us a lift when we were struggling the most. They made the hustle plays on defense and gave us 14 huge points off the bench.”

Powell responded with a 9-0 run of its own to tie that game at 23, capped off by a Jhett Schwahn basket plus the foul.

The Panthers added another point before half, and took a 24-23 lead into the locker room.

Powell came out in a 1-3-1 zone to try and fluster the Tigers, but immediately shifted back into a man defense.

Lander continued to fluster Powell offensively, and held the lead until a Marshall Lewis jumper tied the game at 35 going into the fourth quarter.

Jordan and the Panther bench continued to keep the Panthers in the contest, heading into a key fourth quarter for both teams.

“Our bench, especially the second half, was huge,” Johnson said. “AJ coming off the bench was crazy for us, he brought the defensive energy. Him, Cade and Jace were huge this game.”

Powell continued to struggle offensively as the Panthers’ two leading scorers Johnson and Gunnar Erickson struggling from the field, but remained in the contest defensively.

With 1:20 remaining in the game Lewis hit a 3-pointer that cut the Tiger lead down to 48-47, and following a Lander bucket on the other end an Erickson 3-pointer tied the game at 50 with just under a minute remaining.

Powell battled defensively, but was called for a foul on a shot attempt by Brenon Stauffenberg to put him at the line for two shots with five seconds remaining.

Heny called a timeout to draw up a final play, anticipating the Tigers to press the Panthers following the free throws.

Stauffenberg made both free throws, giving the Panthers one final look.

The ball was passed in to Johnson, then to Trey Stenerson near midcourt who gave it back to Johnson — who put up a shot just inside midcourt and hit nothing but net to give the Panthers a dramatic 53-52 victory over the Tigers.

“I knew I had a pretty rough game, and we were flat all game with zero energy on defense and on offense,” Johnson said. “We probably shouldn’t have won that game but we had a shot at the end and that’s all that matters. I probably traveled, but once I put it up it was on line and it felt good. I had a feeling it was going in and then it went in and I just started running.”

Lewis, Johnson and Erickson all led the Panthers with nine, while Jordan chipped in eight off the bench along with six rebounds.

POWELL 71, PINEDALE 55

Heading into Saturday the Panthers were looking for more revenge, matching up with Pinedale (8-9 overall, 2-1 3A Southwest) who defeated Powell the opening weekend of the season 58-55 in double overtime.

“Both these teams beat us last time so we knew if we beat both of these teams we would have confidence moving forward,” Johnson said.

Unlike Friday, the Panthers came out on fire, with Erickson leading early with seven points to help Powell take an 11-2 lead.

The Panthers continued to maintain the lead after the first quarter leading 17-10.

“Heading into Saturday I wanted the kids to relax and have fun,” Heny said. “We are at the point of the season where it can become a grind, and I wanted them to focus on enjoying the game.”

Pinedale kept it close in the first half, giving the Panthers little opportunity to push the lead out to double digits as the contest went into the locker room with a 32-25 Powell lead.

In the second half the hustle and effort of Stenerson helped the Panthers take full control of the game, with the lead being pushed out to 54-36 going into the fourth quarter.

Stenerson finished with a season high 15 points alongside 13 rebounds including six offensive rebounds for the Panthers.

“Saturday’s game was the type of scoring we can get every night if we continue to come together on the offensive end,” Heny said. “Trey going for his season high was a big boost as he continues to become a force under the basket for us. Getting four total guys in double figures also makes it difficult for teams to decide who to focus on.”

That balanced scoring effort helped the Panthers pull away in the second half, and coast to a 71-55 victory.

Johnson and Erickson both finished with 16 points while Lewis finished with 11 points as the other double-digit scorer for the Panthers.

KEY MATCHUPS

Powell now faces two important matchups this weekend, beginning with a rematch against No. 2-ranked Worland (12-3 overall, 3-0 3A Northwest) on Friday at 7 p.m. after Worland defeated Powell in the first matchup of the season 72-66 two weeks ago.

“We will look to do a better job defending Worland this Friday, which is not an easy task,” Heny said. “They have a lot of guys that can score, so we’re going to have to be at our best on the defensive end of the floor if we hope to have a chance to beat them.”

Powell then heads on the road to Buffalo (9-5 overall, 3-0 3A Northeast) on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. to get a preview of a top team in the east with a few weeks remaining in the regular season.

“The Buffalo game will give us a chance to see how we stack up against one of the top teams from the east and give us a tough road game going into the next two weeks where we will play at Lyman and Mountain View as well as a big game at Lovell,” Heny said.

POWELL 53, LANDER 52

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Marshall Lewis 9, Brock Johnson 9, Gunnar Erickson 9, Alex Jordan 8, Jhett Schwahn 7, Trey Stenerson 5, Jace Hyde 4, Cade Queen 2

Rebounds — Gunnar Erickson 7 (1), Brock Johnson 6 (2), Alex Jordan 6 (2), Trey Stenerson 5 (5), Jhett Schwahn 5 (3), Jade Hyde 4 (2), Cade Queen 2 (2)

Assists — Jhett Schwahn 4, Brock Johnson 2, Trey Stenerson 2, Cade Queen 2, Alex Jordan 1

Steals — Trey Stenerson 4, Brock Johnson 2, Jhett Schwahn 2, Gunnar Erickson 2, Marshall Lewis 1, Jace Hyde 1, Alex Jordan 1

POWELL 71, PINEDALE 55

Points — Brock Johnson 16, Gunnar Erickson 16, Trey Stenerson 15, Marshall Lewis 11, Alex Jordan 6, Jace Hyde 3, Jhett Schwahn 2, Cade Queen 2

Rebounds — Trey Stenerson 13 (7), Brock Johnson 7 (2), Alex Jordan 6 (2), Jade Hyde 5 (3), Jhett Schwahn 3 (1), Gunnar Erickson 3 (1), Cade Queen 2

Assists — Gunnar Erickson 6, Marshall Lewis 3, Jhett Schwahn 2, Brock Johnson 1, Jace Hyde 1

Steals — Gunnar Erickson 4, Trey Stenerson 2, Jhett Schwahn 2, Brock Johnson 1

Blocks — Marshall Lewis 1, Trey Stenerson 1