A pair of rivalry road contests greeted the Panther girls on Friday and Saturday, as they picked up a crucial Class 3A Northwest conference win at Lovell on Friday before dropping a contest to 4A Cody on Saturday. The Powell High School girls (6-7 overall, 1-2 3A Northwest) have now matched their win total from a season ago.

POWELL 30, LOVELL 27

After a disappointing opening conference weekend — and having already suffered a loss to Lovell (11-4 overall, 1-2 3A Northwest) two weeks prior — the Panthers  came out with a renewed focus on Friday.

“We went into Lovell with the mindset that we did not play very well the first time against them and that we were going to give a better showing the second time,” Powell High School head coach Chelsea Buher said.

The Panthers and Bulldogs both started out slow, as the teams brought two contrasting styles early on: Powell sat in a zone and Lovell came out in a high press. The two teams were tied 5-5 with 3:46 remaining in the first quarter.

A late push by the Bulldogs put them up five before a jumper by PHS junior Megan Jacobsen made it 10-7 going into the second period.

Despite giving up an early basket and two turnovers, the Panthers’ defensive scheme was working, as they pressured shooters outside and didn’t allow the Bulldogs to move the ball inside.

Needing a boost, the Panthers again turned to sophomore Kenzie Ratcliff, who made her second varsity appearance of the season.

“Kenzie [Ratcliff] is a spark for us off the bench,” Buher said. “She does a great job giving energy on the defensive side and producing more offensive opportunities.”

Trailing 13-7, the Panthers went on a 9-4 run to pull the game within a point at 17-16 going into halftime; Ratcliff either scored or assisted on six of the nine points.

With the game tied at 18 in the third quarter, the Panthers got their first lead off a Ratcliff 3-pointer with 3:50 left.

Lovell responded, retaking the lead just 30 seconds later at 22-21, but Powell regained the advantage with 1:35 remaining in the quarter off a turnaround jumper on the block by freshman Saige Kidd.

Heading into the fourth quarter up 24-22, the Panthers knew they needed a strong defensive effort.

A baseline move by junior Maddie Campbell gave Powell a 26-22 lead early on, as they continued to stifle Lovell on the defensive end. However, Lovell scored three points over the next few minutes to make it 26-25 with two minutes remaining.

It became a free throw contest and the Panthers gave the Bulldogs multiple opportunities to come back, as PHS went 5-of-21 from the free throw line for the game.

A free throw from Campbell made it 30-25, but a layup by Lovell and missed PHS free throws gave the Bulldogs one last opportunity to tie; a 3-pointer at the buzzer hit off the rim and out.

“If they beat us by doing something they do not typically provide to their team, then we would tip our hat,” Buher said. “I could not have asked my girls to execute our defensive strategy any better than they did.”

CODY 60, POWELL 19

Coming off their conference win Friday night, the Panthers ran into undefeated rivals Cody (12-0 overall, 3-0 4A West).

The Fillies flexed their muscles early and jumped out to a 12-2 lead over the first four minutes, as they used unrelenting pressure and a size advantage early to score layups. Cody was also hitting from outside as they took a 21-4 lead into the second quarter.

The second period was closer — Powell held Cody to just 10 points — but the Fillies led 31-7 at halftime.

Despite the lead, Cody continued to pressure the Panthers in the third quarter and took a 50-13 lead into the fourth quarter.

Due to the deficit, Buher decided to rest her starters for the final period. The junior varsity squad lost the quarter to the Fillies 10-6 to make the final score 60-19.

ROAD TRIP

The Panthers will now head on the road as they travel to Kemmerer (5-10 overall, 0-3 3A Southwest) on Friday and No. 3 ranked Pinedale (12-3 overall, 2-1 3A Southwest) on Saturday to preview potential regional opponents.

“Going into this week, our mindset will be to come away with at least one win,” Buher said.

The coach knows that going on the road is difficult at this point of the season — and she knows that coming away with one win would be a positive for the team going forward.

“We would like to keep the game within reach if we end up losing, without throwing the kitchen sink at them,” Buher said. “We would like to keep some things in our pocket in case we see them in regionals.” 

The Panthers will be looking to continue their improved season as they try to defeat the Rangers and Wranglers before returning home to face Buffalo and Worland next weekend.

POWELL 30, LOVELL 27

Points — Maddie Campbell 7, Saige Kidd 6, Megan Jacobsen 6, Kenzie Ratcliff 5, Catelynn Floy 4, Waycee Harvey 2

Rebounds — Jacobsen 8, Campbell 6, Floy 5, Harvey 5, Kidd 3, Ratcliff 2, Kaili Wisniewski 2

Assists — Campbell 3, Ratcliff 2, Harvey 1, Wisniewski 1, Kidd 1, Floy 1

Steals — Campbell 5, Floy 3, Kidd 2, Harvey 2, Ratcliff 1

CODY 60, POWELL 19

Points — Harvey 5, Lauryn Bennett 4, Jacobsen 4, Kidd 2, Ratcliff 2, Blake Nissen 2

Rebounds — Floy 4, Kidd 3, Gretel Opps 3, Harvey 2, Wisniewski 1, Abby Wambeke 1, Bennett 1, Jacobsen 1

Assists — Opps 2, Wambeke 1, Campbell 1, Ratcliff 1, Floy 1, Jacobsen 1

Steals — Campbell 2, Alexa Richardson 1