The Powell Panther boys’ basketball team will have a chance to defend its state title, taking the No. 3 spot at the 3A West Regional Tournament after defeating Worland 53-48, losing to Lovell 70-58, beating Lander 62-49 and Mountain View 66-45.

POWELL 53, WORLAND 48

Opening up the tournament in Lander the Panthers (16-10) took on the Warriors (11-13) and were seeking revenge for two close losses earlier in the year.

Powell took advantage of gaps in the Warrior zone early, but was unable to score much early despite multiple chances through offensive rebounds and trailed 9-6 with 3:30 remaining.

The Panthers took the lead on an Alex Jordan basket with 1:30 left, and Nathan Preator turned defense into offense and made it 16-9 heading into the second quarter.

Neither team scored in the first two minutes of the second frame, before the Panthers got rolling.

Evan Whitlock’s jumper made it 21-11 with 3:47 remaining, and a Taeson Schultz 3-pointer made it 24-11 and forced a Worland timeout.

“The kids came out and executed our game plan really well against Worland on the offensive end,” coach Mike Heny said. “We wanted to really attack the gaps in the zone from the inside out and move the ball from side-to-side until we got the shot we wanted. AJ and Jaxon Hancock were aggressive on the boards and that led to a lot of second chance opportunities which we were able to convert.”

Powell only mustered three points over the final three minutes, as Worland made its run heading into the locker room, and the Panthers led 27-21 at the break.

Worland kept pressing early in the third, cutting the lead down to two several times but the Panthers had answers.

A Jordan 3-pointer made it 32-27 and forced a Worland timeout with 4:14 remaining, and the Panthers held a 38-34 lead heading to the fourth.

Again the Warriors crept to within a single possession, but the Panthers held on.

Preator’s 3-pointer with 3:30 left made it a 46-42 advantage for Powell, but one last run by Worland led to the Warriors tying the game at 48 with just two minutes left.

After a Powell timeout the Panthers ran some clock and found a shot leading to a foul, as Preator made a free throw to make it 49-48 with a minute remaining.

Powell got the ball back after a miss and ran more time off the clock, extending the lead to 51-48 after a pair of Schultz free throws.

Worland called a timeout, and out of that the Warriors ran off four seconds before the Panthers fouled with a foul to give.

Powell called a timeout and forced a poor shot that was rebounded by Preator who sealed it with two free throws as the Panthers earned a 53-48 win.

“We felt like we were the better team in both of the earlier contests but just didn’t make the plays needed to win in either of those first two contests,” Heny said. “We were much better defensively in this game and that really allowed us to hold them off when we weren’t scoring on the offensive end. We also limited our turnovers for the most part and didn’t allow Worland as many easy buckets.”

Preator led with 18 points, Jordan added 14 and Schultz had 11.

Hancock had nine rebounds and two blocks.

LOVELL 70, POWELL 58

The win on Thursday meant the Panthers matched up with the Bulldogs (23-2) for the fourth time this season.

Scoring was plentiful early for both teams, and Powell faced trouble early as Jordan picked up two fouls in the first quarter.

Powell trailed 22-15 heading into the second quarter, and the Bulldogs pushed it to double digits up 25-15 a minute in.

The Panthers trimmed the lead down to 20-15, before allowing a double digit run to Lovell run to push their lead out to 41-22 going into the break.

“Lovell is an extremely talented team and has seven or eight guys that can all score the basketball. Their length and athleticism is difficult to contend with and unfortunately, we haven’t been able to slow down their offense as much as we need to,” Heny said.

Powell chipped away in the third from beyond the arc, cutting it to 46-35 with 3:30 remaining.

A strong third quarter was capped off with a shot from beyond halfcourt by Jordan at the buzzer to make it a 51-45 game heading into the fourth quarter.

Powell continually cut the lead down to six in the fourth quarter, but the Bulldogs had a response each time and pushed it to double digits.

The Panthers couldn’t get any closer, as the Bulldogs earned the 70-58 win.

“I was really proud of how hard our kids played in the second half and cut that big halftime deficit down to six,” Heny said. “We shot the ball extremely well and executed our offense at a high level. We just dug ourselves too big of a hole and it’s tough to come from that far back against a squad as good as Lovell.”

Jordan finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, Dawson Griffin added 15 and Schultz had 10 as the three Panthers in double figures.

Whitlock led with five assists.

POWELL 62, LANDER 49

The loss Friday meant the Panthers went into a loser-out scenario on Saturday morning, taking on the host Tigers (14-10).

Powell led 8-6 midway through the first quarter behind five from Jordan, and Preator finished the quarter strong offensively, but the Tigers led 17-16 after the first.

The Panthers took the lead and expanded it to 25-19 with 4:30 remaining, and held a 32-24 lead at the halftime break.

Powell had a chance to make it a double digit game early in the third quarter, but missed free throws followed by a 3-pointer by Lander cut the lead down to 36-31.

Lander kept pressing and cut the lead down to a one possession game, but Jordan stopped it and helped extend the lead just before the end of the quarter with a jumper to lead 46-39 after the third quarter.

Right away in the fourth quarter a 3-pointer by Schultz made it 49-39, but Lander wasn’t finished.

A four-point play followed by another three cut the lead down to 49-46, as the Tigers turned their defense up a notch and started frustrating the Panthers.

“We knew Lander would make a run at some point so you just have to stay calm and focus on what was working when we built the lead,” Heny said. “We had a few breakdowns on defense which allowed them to score seven straight points and cut our lead to three.”

Again, Jordan and the Preator helped the Panthers weather the storm and pull away late offensively, and the Panther defense held the Tigers scoreless for nearly the final 4:30 minutes to earn a 62-49 win.

“The kids came out of the timeout and really dug in and forced Lander to guard us until we got the shot we were looking for. The kids did a great job of finishing possessions on offense and really defended well after Lander had made their run,” Heny said.

Jordan led with 25 points as the only Panther in double figures, also adding three steals, while Hancock had 12 rebounds and Griffin had three assists to lead the Panthers.

POWELL 66, MOUNTAIN VIEW 45

In the final game of the weekend the Panthers took on the Buffalos (11-15) in the third place contest.

Powell trailed 11-8 early on before making a run to end the first and built a 23-15 lead heading into the second quarter.

The Panthers maintained that lead, and Whitlock’s 3-pointer late in the half made it a 36-25 game at the break.

Powell kept its double digit advantage in the second half, slowing down the strong shooting of the Buffalos and holding a 48-33 lead after three quarters.

“Mountain View is a really good shooting team and we knew we were going to have to use our size advantage to offset their ability to make perimeter shots,” Heny said. “Taeson shot the ball extremely well and once we built the lead, Mountain View was never able to close the gap.”

In the fourth quarter, Whitlock’s 3-pointer made it a 20 point game, and the Panthers earned a 66-45 win to take third.

Schultz led with 15 points, Preator had 13, Hancock and Jordan each had 11 and Whitlock had 10.

Hancock led with six rebounds, Preator had six assists and three steals while three Panthers had two blocks.

STATE TOURNAMENT

The Powell Panthers now head to the state tournament as the No. 3 seed and will take on the east No. 2 seed Wheatland (15-11) at 7 p.m. on Thursday in a state title rematch from last season.

The Panthers defeated the Bulldogs 53-48 in December in Douglas, but Heny noted the teams have changed since that early season contest.

“Wheatland and us are both different teams since that first game way back in December,” he said. “We’ll really need to be able to defend the perimeter and be patient with the style of play Wheatland will throw at us.”

If Powell wins, it will take on the winner of west No. 1 seed Lovell and east No. 4 seed Douglas (18-8) at 8:30 p.m. on Friday at Casper College.

If Powell loses, it will take on the loser of that contest at 1:30 p.m. on Friday at Casper College.

POWELL 53, WORLAND 48

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Nathan Preator 18, Alex Jordan 14, Taeson Schultz 11, Jaxon Hancock 6, Evan Whitlock 2, Dawson Griffin 2

Rebounds — Jaxon Hancock 9 (4), Alex Jordan 6 (4), Dawson Griffin 4 (1), Nathan Preator 3 (2), Evan Whitlock 3, Taeson Schultz 1

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

Steals — Alex Jordan 3, Nathan Preator 1, Taeson Schultz 1, Evan Whitlock 1

Blocks — Jaxon Hancock 2, Evan Whitlock 1

LOVELL 70, POWELL 58

Points — Alex Jordan 23, Dawson Griffin 15, Taeson Schultz 10, Evan Whitlock 5, Nathan Preator 4, Jaxon Hancock 1

Rebounds — Alex Jordan 10 (4), Jaxon Hancock 4 (2), Evan Whitlock 3 (1), Nathan Preator 2 (1), Dawson Griffin 2, Taeson Schultz 1 (1), Landon Hyde 1

Assists — Evan Whitlock 5, Nathan Preator 4, Dawson Griffin 3, Jaxon Hancock 2, Alex Jordan 2

Steals — Alex Jordan 2, Taeson Schultz 1, Jaxon Hancock 1

Blocks — Nathan Preator 1, Evan Whitlock 1, Alex Jordan 1

POWELL 62, LANDER 49

Points — Alex Jordan 25, Dawson Griffin 9, Nathan Preator 8, Jaxon Hancock 7, Taeson Schultz 6, Evan Whitlock 6, Landon Hyde 1

Rebounds — Jaxon Hancock 12 (5), Alex Jordan 7 (3), Nathan Preator 4, Evan Whitlock 3 (1), Taeson Schultz 2

Assists — Dawson Griffin 3, Nathan Preator 1, Evan Whitlock 1, Jaxon Hancock 1, Alex Jordan 1

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

Blocks — Nathan Preator 1, Alex Jordan 1

POWELL 66, MOUNTAIN VIEW 45

Points — Taeson Schultz 15, Nathan Preator 13, Jaxon Hancock 11, Alex Jordan 11, Evan Whitlock 10, Landon Hyde 6

Rebounds — Jaxon Hancock 6, Taeson Schultz 5 (1), Alex Jordan 5 (2), Nathan Preator 4 (1), Evan Whitlock 3, Landon Hyde 2, Dawson Griffin 2 (1), Brady Harvey 2 (1)

Assists — Nathan Preator 6, Taeson Schultz 4, Dawson Griffin 4, Jaxon Hancock 2, Kason Sherman 2, Evan Whitlock 1, Landon Hyde 1

Steals — Nathan Preator 3, Taeson Schultz 1, Landon Hyde 1, Jaxon Hancock 1, Alex Jordan 1

Blocks — Taeson Schultz 2, Jaxon Hancock 2, Alex Jordan 2, Nathan Preator 1