Another test presented itself for the No. 5-ranked Powell girls’ basketball team on the road over the weekend — with the Panthers defeating Lyman 40-36 on Friday before a late comeback fell short in a 48-41 loss to No. 3-ranked Mountain View.

POWELL 40, LYMAN 36

Kicking off the weekend the Panthers (11-8 overall, 4-0 3A Northwest) opened up play against the Eagles (15-5 overall, 2-2 3A Southwest).

Both teams came out with strong defensive intensities, with Lyman maintaining a 5-4 lead.

Powell took the lead on a pair of Saige Kidd free throws with 2:29 left, but Lyman responded and the teams were knotted at 8-8 after the first quarter.

The Panthers held the lead for half the quarter, but a 3-pointer tied the contest at 14.

Powell took the lead again on a free throw each from Kidd and Addy Thorington, but that would be the final points of the half for either team with Powell taking a 16-14 lead into the locker room.

The Panthers quickly extended the lead out to double digits over the first three minutes after a Coy Erickson 3-pointer made it 25-15.

Defensively the Panthers’ 2-3 zone continued to fluster the Eagles, and a 3-pointer by Erickson at the buzzer gave Powell a 34-22 lead going into the fourth quarter.

“We got up 12 late in the third and then we sort of let them crawl back into it,” coach Chelsea Buher said.

Turnovers piled up early in the fourth for the Panthers, allowing the Eagles back into the contest with the score 38-32 midway through the quarter.

Lyman continued to chip away at the lead, making it 38-36 with a chance to tie or take the lead late.

Powell’s defense held up, and a press break in the final seconds led to a Kidd layup that made the final score 40-36.

“Getting another win on that side of the conference was nice,” Buher said. “They are a good team, they’ve been ranked in the top five pretty much all season… I was really proud of the girls for finishing it out.”

Kidd led the way with 12 points and four blocks for the Panthers — handing the Eagles their first home loss of the season.

MOUNTAIN VIEW 48, POWELL 41

After the victory on Friday the Panthers made the short trip to Mountain View, taking on the No. 3-ranked Buffalos (20-1 overall, 3-1 3A Southwest).

Scoring early on was tough to come by for both teams, with the Buffalos leading the Panthers 4-1 midway through the quarter.

Powell got on track on a Maddie Campbell layup after a Catelynn Floy steal, outscoring Mountain View 8-2 the rest of the quarter and taking a 9-6 lead into the second.

“They were a lot bigger in person than I kind of anticipated,” Buher said. “We struggled a little bit early on with Mckinlee Covolo and her size. She’s a bigger body, we have the height, but she’s a strong sophomore. We flipped to a man [defense] and saw a lot of success with it.”

Starting out the second quarter the Buffalos opened up on a 7-1 run to take back the lead.

Powell came back to tie the game at 13, before a Mountain View 5-0 run made it 18-13 going into the half.

In the second half the Buffalos came out strong, pushing the lead out double-digits over the Panthers.

The lead got pushed out to as many as 13 near the end of the third, but Mountain View led 32-24 heading into the fourth quarter.

“We started that run at the end of the third quarter and I didn’t sub anybody for the sheer fact that everything was clicking with that group,” Buher said.

Powell continued to cut into the lead in the fourth, spearheaded by a strong all-around effort from Kami Jensen who finished the game leading the Panthers in rebounds (six), steals (six) and assists (four).

“We told Kami that was probably the best game she played in her career,” Buher said. “She defended and gave up a lot of unselfish plays so her teammates could score… She’s been playing well, the last couple of weeks she has been bringing it in practice and doing well in the games which has been good to see.”

Powell tied the game at 38 after a Floy layup, setting up a strong finish between the teams.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, they would not retake the lead, with Mountain View taking back the lead and finishing with a 48-41 victory.

The loss moved Powell to 3-1 against 3A Southwest opponents, the best record of 3A Northwest teams.

“We learned a lot by playing them instead of just watching them on film, so I am glad we got that opportunity and I hope we get another shot at them at the regionals,” Buher said.

Thorington led the Panthers in scoring with 14 and Floy chipped in 10 as the other double digit scorer for Powell.

REGULAR SEASON FINISH

Powell comes back to the northwest portion of the state to finish out the regular season, starting out with a key matchup on Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Lovell (13-7 overall, 3-1 3A Northwest).

“We want to win Thursday to wrap up that No. 1 spot,” Buher said. “That Lyman win was key because we have more wins against the southwest… I want to get that win and then obviously Saturday I want to win for senior day.”

After the game on Thursday, the Panthers will wrap up the regular season against Thermopolis (3-16 overall, 1-3 3A Northwest) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday before heading to the 3A West Regionals next week in Mountain View.

POWELL 40, LYMAN 36

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Saige Kidd 12, Coy Erickson 9, Addy Thorington 7, Waycee Harvey 6, Alexa Richardson 2, Maddie Campbell 2, Megan Jacobsen 2

Rebounds — Waycee Harvey 6 (1), Addy Thorington 4 (1), Alexa Richardson 3 (1), Saige Kidd 3 (1), Kami Jensen 3 (1), Coy Erickson 2, Maddie Campbell 2, Megan Jacobsen 2, Lauryn Bennett 1 (1)

Assists — Kami Jensen 4, Alexa Richardson 2, Waycee Harvey 2, Saige Kidd 2, Megan Jacobsen 2, Addy Thorington 1

Steals — Waycee Harvey 3, Maddie Campbell 2, Saige Kidd 2, Kami Jensen 2, Addy Thorington 1, Lauryn Bennett 1
Blocks — Saige Kidd 4, Addy Thorington 2, Kami Jensen 2

MOUNTAIN VIEW 48, POWELL 41

Points — Addy Thorington 14, Catelynn Floy 10, Megan Jacobsen 6, Waycee Harvey 5, Maddie Campbell 5, Kami Jensen 1

Rebounds — Kami Jensen 6 (2), Addy Thorington 4, Catelynn Floy 3 (1), Maddie Campbell 1, Saige Kidd 1, Megan Jacobsen 1

Assists — Kami Jensen 4, Catelynn Floy 3, Megan Jacobsen 3, Waycee Harvey 2, Alexa Richardson 1, Addy Thorington 1, Maddie Campbell 1, Saige Kidd 1

Steals — Kami Jensen 6, Catelynn Floy 4, Waycee Harvey 1, Addy Thorington 1

Blocks — Addy Thorington 3, Maddie Campbell 1, Megan Jacobsen 1