A young Panther girls’ basketball team fought to the end, but a season full of highs and lows came to an end on Friday at the 3A West Regional basketball tournament. The Panthers lost to Lyman 42-21 on Thursday and 39-28 to Worland on Friday.

LYMAN 42, POWELL 21

A difficult matchup greeted the Panthers (7-16 overall) Thursday, as they took on 3A Southwest No. 1 seed Lyman (22-3 overall) in the opening round of the tournament.

Early in the contest Powell competed with the Eagles, as their zone defense stifled Lyman.

Panther head coach Chelsea Buher was forced to turn to a new face off the bench early, as foul trouble for junior guard Maddie Campbell led Buher to call on freshman guard Alexa Richardson.

“We put her [Richardson] in the game in Lander last weekend for significant minutes,” Buher said. “Her off the bench gives us an option if Maddie [Campbell] gets in foul trouble or just needs a breather.”

Lyman figured out the Panther zone late in the quarter, and took a 10-4 lead going into the second.

The Panthers’ strong defensive effort continued, but they were unable to find the basket consistently on the offensive end as they trailed 12-6 midway through the quarter.

Lyman appeared to find their groove offensively towards the end of the half, as they took a 21-11 lead into halftime.

The Eagles’ own zone continued to stifle Powell on the offensive end as they led 33-17 going into the fourth quarter.

Powell was unable to cut into the deficit and Buher turned to her bench with just under three minutes remaining; the Panthers were knocked down to the consolation bracket with the 42-21 loss.

Junior Megan Jacobsen and freshmen Saige Kidd and Catelynn Floy led the Panthers with four points each.

Overall the Panthers held the Eagles to 17-of-57 shooting from the field, but went 7-of-33 from the field themselves, including 0-9 from 3-point range.

WORLAND 39, POWELL 28

After Thursday’s loss, the Panthers season was on the line and they matched up against a familiar opponent in Worland (10-14 overall), who defeated Powell in both regular season matchups.

A slow shooting start had Powell on the wrong end of a 9-3 deficit early on Friday, as the Panthers were unable to finish shots around the Warrior zone.

Early foul trouble for Campbell again led to Richardson coming off the bench for the Panthers, as they sought an offensive spark to get back in the game.

“We tried to attack their zone a little more rather than settling for the outside shots but we were not hitting like we had been in the past,” Buher said. “I do not know if it was due to being tired with such a young crew coming in and having to play through a varsity season which is much longer than middle school.”

At various points in the two contests, Buher turned to a lineup that featured three freshmen and two sophomores, as the Panthers continued to search for an answer on offense.

Powell ended the first quarter strong, with the Panthers trailing 9-8 going into the second quarter.

The two teams exchanged baskets early in the period, but the Warriors gained momentum with 3:08 left in the half.

After a hustle play on the defensive end, Floy was assessed a technical foul, which put Worland in the bonus and gave them four free throws. The Warriors sunk three to take an eight-point lead.

“That was a learning moment for Catelynn [Floy] and it was something we talked about when she came out,” Buher said. “Maybe something that could have been a warning, but it was something she can learn from and we can build off that.”

Worland led 20-12 going into the half.

Despite stifling Worland on the defensive end, Powell was still unable to take advantage of the low scoring contest on offense.

Worland pushed the lead to 11 late in the quarter, and was up 29-20 going into the fourth quarter.

The Warriors never allowed Powell to get within four possessions, holding any Panther momentum at bay to take a 39-28 victory.

The Panthers shot slightly better on Friday, finishing 10-of-38 from the field. They were led by Richardson and Kidd with seven points.

BRIGHT FUTURE

Throughout the season, the Panthers featured a team that had only one senior in Kaili Wisniewski, and they continued to rely on youth even more as the season progressed.

“She [Wisniewski] is such a good kid. I have coached her since she was a freshman and she came in with little confidence and was a kid that was uncertain if she wanted to play — and she stuck it out all four years,” Buher said. “I am glad that she stuck it out and I have seen her grow so much as a player and as a person; that is what we are after once these kids graduate, is good, decent young women.”

The Panthers are set to return nearly their entire roster next year, and Buher hopes the experience gained this year will be a building block for the future as they try to return to the state tournament. Coming into this season, the Panthers only had two players who had any varsity experience in Campbell and Jacobsen.

Throughout the season the Panthers came up against upperclassmen-heavy teams in the western region, and Buher hopes this year’s experience will help her team push the ball forward next year.

LYMAN 42, POWELL 21

Points — Saige Kidd 4, Catelynn Floy 4, Megan Jacobsen 4, Waycee Harvey 2, Maddie Campbell 2, Kenzie Ratcliff 2, Alexa Richardson 1

Rebounds — Floy 8, Harvey 6, Campbell 5, Jacobsen 5, Kidd 3, Richardson 2, Ratcliff 2, Lauryn Bennett 1, Blake Nissen 1

Assists — Harvey 2, Campbell 2

Steals — Floy 3, Campbell 2, Kidd 1, Bennett 1, Ratcliff 1, Jacobsen 1

WORLAND 39, POWELL 28

Points — Richardson 7, Kidd 7, Floy 5, Ratcliff 4, Harvey 2, Jacobsen 2, Campbell 1

Rebounds — Harvey 4, Kidd 3, Floy 3, Opps 3, Jacobsen 3, Campbell 2, Ratcliff 2

Assists — Floy 2, Harvey 1, Kaili Wisniewski 1, Kidd 1, Ratcliff 1

Steals — Harvey 5, Floy 2, Jacobsen 2, Richardson 1, Campbell 1, Opps 1