The Powell Panther girls’ basketball team started the season 2-1 during a competitive opening weekend in Lander. The Panthers lost their opening game to Pinedale 57-31 on Thursday before rebounding against Rawlins 63-16 on Friday and ultimately defeating host Lander 47-40 on Saturday.

PINEDALE 57, POWELL 31

Kicking off with a difficult opponent the Panthers (2-1) matched up with the Wranglers (3-0) in Lander.

Powell battled early on, holding a 5-4 lead three minutes in thanks to five points from Emery Hernandez.

The Wranglers got their offense going, pulling ahead 11-6 with two minutes left in the quarter.

Later on the Panthers made one last push at the free throw line, as Ivy Agee sank a pair to tie the game at 12 after the first quarter.

Both teams hit a 3-pointer to start the second quarter, before the Wranglers started taking control.

Pinedale opened up a 25-17 lead with 2:33 remaining in the quarter and briefly pushed it to double digits before maintaining a 27-19 lead at the break.

In the second half the Wranglers continued their offensive push, quickly making it a double digit lead and stretching it to 39-21 midway through the third quarter.

“I just didn’t feel like we played our best defense against them, being the first game out and one of the top teams in the state,” coach Chelsea Kistler said. “We didn’t do very well on converting the pick and roll like we have in the past. I’m not sure what the miscommunication was there, but we just didn’t execute what we had worked on there.”

Offensively the Wranglers kept pushing and the Panthers struggled to find their scoring, as Pinedale led 45-25 after the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter the lead grew to as many as 28, as the Panthers fell in their opener 57-31.

“I just chalk it up to the first game of the season and ultimately it doesn’t mean anything,” Kistler said. “I do think that as the weekend went on, we got better in every facet. So that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”

Hernandez led the Panthers with 13 points, Catelynn Floy led with five rebounds, four of them offensive, along with two assists.

“She [Hernandez] had a great weekend,” Kistler said. “That’s what we’re going to need out of her.”

Saige Kidd added two blocks, and five Panthers recorded a steal.

POWELL 63, RAWLINS 16

Heading into Friday the Panthers matched up with the Outlaws (0-3) and looked for a faster start than Thursday.

Powell got it, bursting out the gates to an 18-2 lead and forcing a Rawlins timeout midway through the first quarter.

Rawlins cut into the lead at 20-9, but the Panthers expanded their advantage and led 26-9 after the first quarter.

In the second the Panthers started with an 11-0 run and pushed the lead to 37-9.

With three minutes left in the half Floy pushed the lead over 30 on an and-one as Powell continued to press.

Rawlins finally got on the board again with two minutes left in the half, but Powell pushed the lead out to 48-11 at the half on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Coy Erickson.

Scoring was hard to come by for both teams in the third, but the Panthers led 56-14 heading into the fourth before finishing with a 63-16 win.

“I think that was a game that the girls probably would have liked to have had first, just to get their feet wet, but it wasn’t,” Kistler said. “So at least it was another momentum builder for us and to try to get things corrected that we didn’t do right in the first game. Obviously a little bit different pace than we had in the first game, but I had four kids in double figures, and I got everybody in the game. My young ones got a lot of minutes.”

Hernandez led once again with 15 points and six steals, Erickson had 14 points and led with eight rebounds, Agee had 13 points and Floy chipped in 12.

POWELL 47, LANDER 40

Wrapping up the weekend the Panthers matched up with the host Tigers (3-1), who tried to ruin Powell’s perfect start to the season.

Powell started out strong beyond the arc, with Alexa Richardson and Hernandez each hitting a 3-pointer to give Powell a 7-3 lead midway through the first quarter.

Lander responded, tying the contest at 11 heading into the second.

Powell again took the lead midway through the second quarter up 15-14, but consistent shooting from 3-point range in the first half from the Tigers had the score deadlocked at the break at 22.

Out of the break Kidd scored five straight points including a 3-pointer, but again the Tigers responded throughout the quarter and eventually tied the game at 29 with 1:30 left.

A free throw gave Lander the lead, before an and-one by Floy late in the quarter gave Powell a 32-30 lead heading into the final quarter.

The Tigers had the lone basket over the first three minutes of the final frame as the two teams were tied at 32 with five minutes left.

A Kidd basket, Floy and-one and a jumper by Hernandez capped off a quick run for the Panthers to take a 39-32 lead, but a basket and quick timeout kept the Tigers in the game with 2:53 remaining.

“Saige and Catelynn made a couple great shots that we needed. They were big baskets,” Kistler said.

Erickson helped push the lead out to 42-34, but a quick run by Lander narrowed the gap to 42-38 with 1:11 left.

Down the stretch the Panthers won the game at the line, as Hernandez went 5-6 from the charity stripe in the final minute to seal the 47-40 win.

“It was one of their team goals this year to finish the close ones,” Kistler said. “There were times where Lander scored a couple back-to-back times and kind of pulled it within four again. There was a moment where I kind of was looking at the girls like ‘where are we going to go with this?’ You have two ways you can go. You can go back down that path of what we did last year and get really nervous, tense and scared. Or you can bow your neck a little bit and get done what you know you need to get done. That’s what they did.”

Hernandez led with 15 points and three steals while Kidd and Floy each had 11.

Erickson led with seven rebounds and two blocks while Richardson led with six assists.

“Alexa had six assists … That’s a huge day for her,” Kistler said. “That is a big deal and everybody needs to realize their role on the team and do it well.”

BACK TO LANDER

The Panthers will head back to Fremont County once again this weekend, taking part in the Lander Classic on Friday and Saturday.

Powell will get a chance to avenge its consolation semifinal loss at the state tournament last year when the Panthers take on Wheatland (4-0) at 11 a.m. on Friday.

“That’s a rematch that we need to be ready to go there,” Kistler said. “I do think that that’s a game we let get away from us last year and I think the girls feel that way too.”

The Panthers will then take on Burns (2-2) at 5 p.m. on Friday.

Powell wraps up the weekend with a tough opponent, matching up with the defending state champion Douglas Bearcats (3-0) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.

“Getting to see the teams on the other side is huge. Just getting to see them with our own eyes and get a feel for how they play, whether we win or lose, it’s way different than a coach showing you on film or breaking it down in practice what they do,” Kistler said. “I told the girls that if we go in and we lose every single game against the other side, you are gaining a lot from getting that opportunity. Ideally, you always want to come out with a win, but we’re learning a lot more just by playing them.”

PINEDALE 57, POWELL 31

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Emery Hernandez 13, Coy Erickson 8, Alexa Richardson 5, Ivy Agee 2, Saige Kidd 2, Catelynn Floy 1

Rebounds — Catelynn Floy 5 (4), Emery Hernandez 4 (2), Alexa Richardson 3, Ivy Agee 3, Ava Teten 3 (2), Coy Erickson 2 (1), Saige Kidd 1, Leah Graham 1

Assists — Catelynn Floy 2, Alexa Richardson 1, Ivy Agee 1

Steals — Emery Hernandez 1, Coy Erickson 1, Ivy Agee 1, Ava Teten 1, Catelynn Floy 1

Blocks — Saige Kidd 2, Emery Hernandez 1, Ivy Agee 1, Catelynn Floy 1

POWELL 63, RAWLINS 16

Points — Emery Hernandez 15, Coy Erickson 14, Ivy Agee 13, Catelynn Floy 12, Saige Kidd 7, Ava Teten 2

Rebounds — Coy Erickson 8 (2), Emery Hernandez 6 (2), Catelynn Floy 6 (6), Saige Kidd 4, Hali Hancock 3 (1), Ivy Agee 3 (3), Leah Graham 3 (1), Ava Teten 1

Assists — Alexa Richardson 4, Emery Hernandez 3, Ava Teten 2, Leah Graham 2, Coy Erickson 1, Ivy Agee 1, Saige Kidd 1

Steals — Emery Hernandez 6, Coy Erickson 3, Saige Kidd 3, Alexa Richardson 2, Ivy Agee 1, Leah Graham 1, Catelynn Floy 1

Blocks — Emery Hernandez 1

POWELL 47, LANDER 40

Points — Emery Hernandez 15, Saige Kidd 11, Catelynn Floy 11, Coy Erickson 6, Alexa Richardson 3, Leah Graham 1

Rebounds — Coy Erickson 7 (2), Emery Hernandez 5 (2), Saige Kidd 5, Catelynn Floy 5 (2), Alexa Richardson 2 (1), Ivy Agee 1 (1)

Assists — Alexa Richardson 6, Emery Hernandez 3, Coy Erickson 2, Catelynn Floy 2, Ivy Agee 1

Steals — Emery Hernandez 3, Coy Erickson 2, Leah Graham 2, Catelynn Floy 2, Alexa Richardson 1, Saige Kidd 1

Blocks — Coy Erickson 2