Heading to Uinta County for a pair of early week contests the Powell Panther boys’ basketball team defeated both Bridger Valley opponents on Monday and Tuesday, pulling away in the fourth quarter against Lyman 57-49 and using a dominant second half to defeat Mountain View 64-43.

POWELL 57, LYMAN 49

Running down south to make up games against Bridger Valley competition the Panthers (12-6 overall, 2-4 3A West) were looking for a quick rebound against the Eagles (7-12 overall, 1-6 3A West) after an overtime loss Friday.

Both teams came out shooting, as Powell held a 16-10 lead just past the midway point led by Dawson Griffin’s eight points.

Scoring slowed down the rest of the quarter, as Powell led 19-10 after the first.

“The kids did a really good job of moving the ball at the beginning of the Lyman game,” coach Mike Heny said. “We were getting the shots we wanted, where we wanted for the most part. We had a distinct advantage inside, so initially Lyman packed the paint and we were able to knock down some shots from the perimeter early, which opened up the paint for Jaxon [Hancock] and Alex [Jordan] in the post and for driving lanes from the guards.”

Powell led by double digits right at the start of the second quarter, but scoring was hard to come by for the Panthers the rest of the half.

Lyman cut the lead to 21-16 with 4:39 left, and continued that run until it was tied at 21.

The score was deadlocked at 23 when a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by the Eagles gave them the lead 26-23 at the break.

Lyman carried that momentum beyond the arc into the second half, continuing to hold a 37-35 lead and forcing a Powell timeout.

Powell finally regained the advantage late in the third on a Landon Hyde jumper as the Panthers led 44-42 going into the fourth quarter.

The Panthers quickly extended their advantage in the fourth, making it a six point game and eventually pushing it to double digits after a Jordan layup to make it 52-42.

“The biggest change in the fourth against Lyman was our ability to defend,” Heny said. “The kids really picked it up on that end of the floor and we were able to force some turnovers and make them take tough shots. It completely turned the game in our favor since we just traded buckets with them in the second half up until that point.”

Powell kept Lyman scoreless until 3:15 left in the fourth, and a quick run cut the score down within five.

The Panthers weathered the storm and held on for their first conference win of the season 57-49 over the Eagles.

Hancock led with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Jordan and Griffin added 12 points each.

Evan Whitlock led with five assists while Jordan added three steals and Hancock added two blocks.

POWELL 64, MOUNTAIN VIEW 43

After the win on Monday the Panthers took on the Buffalos (7-12 overall, 1-6 3A West) and sought a second straight conference win.

Powell started strong, leading 10-4 just past the midway point of the first quarter, but was unable to find a basket the rest of the quarter as the Panthers led 10-6 heading into the second.

The Panthers pushed their advantage to as many as 16-9 early in the second quarter, as scoring slowed again until midway through the frame.

Powell pushed the lead out to 23-12 behind a strong quarter from Landon Hyde, as his 3-pointer made it a double digit affair.

Mountain View responded with a six point swing in a matter of seconds, via a 3-pointer and a three-point play, to cut the lead down to 24-18 at the break.

“During halftime of the Mountain View game, I challenged the kids to finish quarters and just stay more locked in during every situation,” Heny said. “I felt like we had all the momentum and we let them score six points in five seconds to give them a lift going into the locker room. I wanted them to be really focused coming out of the break to reestablish what we had built and the kids did a great job of that.”

Powell started the second half strong behind two 3-pointers by Griffin to go up 30-20.

The Panthers kept their momentum, and led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter; holding a 42-28 lead going into the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, the Panthers matched anything Mountain View threw at them, and made it an 18 point game after a pair of Jordan free throws.

The biggest lead of the game ended up being 21 after a Jordan layup with just a minute left as the Panthers led 62-41, and ended with the 64-43 win.

“The kids did a good job putting the Worland game behind them. This was a really difficult trip since it was on a Monday and Tuesday, with a long bus trip on top of the unique schedule,” Heny said. “We continue to build off of things that we do well and try to eliminate some of our weaknesses.”

Jordan led with 16 points and added night rebounds, while Griffin had 12 points and added five assists.

Whitlock led with eight assists, Schultz led with four steals and Hancock had team highs in rebounds with 11 and blocks with three.

HOME WEEKEND

Powell returns home for the last time this weekend, to wrap up its competition against the southwest.

The Panthers take on Lander (10-8 overall, 4-3 3A West) at 7 p.m. on Friday before hosting Pinedale (9-8 overall, 3-3 3A West) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“The Lander and Pinedale games seem like a season ago now,” Heny said. “We are all different teams at this point due to changes in lineups so we just need to keep looking at where we have advantages in these conference matchups and see if we can execute at a high level.”

POWELL 57, LYMAN 49

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Jaxon Hancock 15, Alex Jordan 12, Dawson Griffin 12, Nathan Preator 6, Taeson Schultz 5, Evan Whitlock 5, Landon Hyde 2

Rebounds — Jaxon Hancock 7 (2), Nathan Preator 6 (3), Alex Jordan 6, Dawson Griffin 6 (4), Taeson Schultz 3 (1), Evan Whitlock 1, Landon Hyde 1 (1)

Assists — Evan Whitlock 5, Taeson Schultz 4, Alex Jordan 3, Nathan Preator 2, Landon Hyde 2, Dawson Griffin 2

Steals — Alex Jordan 3, Nathan Preator 2, Evan Whitlock 2, Dawson Griffin 2, Taeson Schultz 1, Landon Hyde 1, Jaxon Hancock 1

Blocks — Jaxon Hancock 2, Alex Jordan 1

POWELL 64, MOUNTAIN VIEW 43

Points — Alex Jordan 16, Dawson Griffin 12, Landon Hyde 9, Taeson Schultz 7, Evan Whitlock 7, Jaxon Hancock 7, Nathan Preator 6

Rebounds — Jaxon Hancock 11 (3), Alex Jordan 9 (2), Taeson Schultz 8 (1), Landon Hyde 5 (5), Dawson Griffin 5 (3), Nathan Preator 4, Evan Whitlock 3 (2), Brady Harvey 1

Assists — Evan Whitlock 8, Dawson Griffin 5, Nathan Preator 3, Taeson Schultz 3, Landon Hyde 1, Alex Jordan 1

Steals — Taeson Schultz 4, Nathan Preator 2, Evan Whitlock 2, Alex Jordan 2, Dawson Griffin 1, Brady Harvey 1

Blocks — Jaxon Hancock 3, Evan Whitlock 2, Alex Jordan 1, Dawson Griffin 1