The Panther boys’ basketball team got one last opportunity to play in front of their home crowd before heading to state and they took advantage. The Powell High School squad won three straight games — defeating Mountain View 45-43, Worland 73-63 and Kemmerer 50-42 — to take home the 3A West regional championship.

“We have felt like we could compete with the best teams all year,” said PHS head coach Mike Heny, “and to be able to come out and win regionals on our home court was an amazing accomplishment for these young men.”

POWELL 45, MOUNTAIN VIEW 43

In Thursday’s opening game, the Panthers (14-10 overall) came up against a familiar opponent in Mountain View (11-15 overall), who pushed Powell to the brink just two weeks ago.

Adjusting to the first game of a tournament is typically difficult and the Panthers struggled to find the basket early from the field.

However, Powell found its way to the free throw line, drawing nine fouls against the visitors and taking a 9-8 lead in the first quarter.

Mountain View came out stronger in the second quarter and PHS continued to struggle from the field, with senior Toran Graham being the only Panther to make a basket. Powell trailed 20-12 heading into the locker room.

“The first game at regionals is always a tough game to get through,” Heny said. “Mountain View does a really good job with their zone defense and we simply were not shooting the ball like we are capable of.”

Still, the coach was happy with the defensive effort that allowed his team to only be down eight points.

Roughly two minutes into the half, Mountain View hit a 3-pointer to extend its lead to a game high 12 points.

Sophomore Brock Johnson responded with a 3-point play, igniting a spark in the Panther offense. Over the next six minutes, Powell went on a 14-2 run, tying the game at 29 going into the fourth quarter.

“After the break, we were more aggressive offensively which allowed for some cleaner looks and it just came down to us making the shots we were getting,” Heny said.

The Panthers began the fourth quarter with a stop, then sophomore Trey Stenerson knocked down a 3-pointer in the corner to give Powell its first lead since the opening period.

Both teams battled back and forth, as neither wanted to lose and drop down to must-win games in the losers’ bracket.

Powell continued to lead by a single possession and sophomore Jhett Schwahn iced the game at the free throw line to extend the lead to five; a buzzer beater by Mountain View made the final score 45-43.

Graham led the Panthers with 12 points and sophomore Gunnar Erickson joined him in double digits with 10.

POWELL 73, WORLAND 63

After the win on Thursday, the Panthers only needed one more to qualify for the state tournament, but they ran into the defending state champion Worland Warriors (24-2 overall).

The Warriors have been a thorn in the Panthers’ side, as they beat PHS three times in the regular season and were looking for a fourth straight win to advance to the championship game. Powell, however, came to play.

A Panther fast start led to an 8-4 lead midway through the quarter as they took advantage of hustle plays leading to a jolt of energy from the home crowd.

Powell continued to hold off the challengers, as they took a 19-13 lead heading into the second quarter.

After a Stenerson putback created a double-digit lead early, the Panthers started to catch fire.

At the forefront of that charge was Erickson, who put nearly every shot he took in the second quarter into the basket.

After scoring only two points in the first quarter, Erickson put on a clinic in the second. He hit four 3-pointers and piled up 16 points — helping Powell extend the lead over Worland to 19 points at halftime.

“The home crowd over the weekend was absolutely amazing and definitely played a huge role in Friday’s game,” Heny said. “Gunnar [Erickson]’s second quarter was awesome to watch and the crowd seemed to get louder with each three that he made.”

Despite the large halftime lead, the Panthers continued to attack the basket early in the second half, causing multiple Warriors to get in foul trouble and allow Powell to hold the defending champions at bay.

Throughout the third quarter Worland appeared poised to cut into the deficit, but the Panthers maintained a 15- to 20-point lead and remained up by 18 going into the fourth.

Worland did not go away easily, however. A 21-point Panther lead early in the fourth quarter was taken all the way down to single digits with three minutes remaining, as the Warriors captured momentum through a high pressure press.

Worland got as close as six points with 1:30 remaining, but the Panthers ultimately avenged their three prior losses and took down the Warriors 73-63 to earn a spot at the state tournament.

Johnson led with 24 points, followed by Erickson with 21 and Graham with 12.

After not making the state tournament last year, the Panthers went into Saturday knowing they locked up their spot — but they were still seeking a regional title.

POWELL 50, KEMMERER 42

One final home game greeted the Panthers Saturday night, as they took on Kemmerer (13-11 overall).

The Rangers came out strong in the first half.

“Kemmerer’s length is difficult to get used to,” Heny said. “It’s not something we can simulate in practice and Lyman is the only other team we have faced that poses similar challenges.”

The Rangers took advantage of that length and put pressure on the home team early, taking a 20-11 lead into the second quarter.

A first half devoid of fouls led to a quick-paced game, as Kemmerer continued to bother the Panthers on the defensive end as the Rangers took a 28-24 lead into halftime.

Both teams struggled from the field in the third quarter, but Powell finally pulled within one possession to trail 34-31 heading into the final period.

A 3-pointer by senior Zach Ratcliff gave the Panthers their first lead at the 6:20 mark. Kemmerer tied the game, but an Erickson 3-pointer from the top of the key gave the Panthers the lead for good with 4:30 remaining.

Powell pushed the lead out to seven, as they held Kemmerer to four points over the final four minutes of the game, winning the regional title on their home court.

Erickson led the way for the Panthers with 16 points, with Johnson adding 12.

STATE TOURNAMENT

The Panthers will head to Casper Thursday to take on Thermopolis (11-14 overall)  at 1:30 p.m. in the first round of the Class 3A state tournament at the Wyoming Ford Center.

Powell defeated the Bobcats in Thermopolis during January’s Big Horn Basin Classic and will try to sweep the season series over the No. 4 seed from the east.

“We feel good about how we are playing right now and playing a team we have already seen gives us some familiarity with their personnel and system,” Heny said. “We don’t take any opponent lightly and our only focus this week will be preparing for a good Thermopolis team.”

If the Panthers win, they will advance to the semifinals at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Casper College and take on the winner of a Douglas/Worland game.

If the Panthers lose, they will play on Friday at noon at Casper College in the consolation semifinal.

POWELL 45, MOUNTAIN VIEW 43

Points — Toran Graham 12, Gunnar Erickson 10, Brock Johnson 8, Jhett Schwahn 5, Trey Stenerson 5, Zach Ratcliff 5

POWELL 73, WORLAND 63

Points — Johnson 24, Erickson 21, Graham 12, Ratcliff 7, Schwahn 4, Keaton Rowton 3, Stenerson 2

POWELL 50, KEMMERER 42

Points — Erickson 16, Johnson 12, Graham 7, Ratcliff 6, Stenerson 5, Rowton 2, Schwahn 2