Lady Panthers second at Big Horn Basin Shootout

Fall to Wyoming Indian 61-57 in championship game

Posted 1/15/19

The championship game of the Big Horn Basin Classic girls’ basketball tournament — between undefeated Class 2A powerhouse Wyoming Indian and the tournament co-host 3A Powell High School …

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Lady Panthers second at Big Horn Basin Shootout

Fall to Wyoming Indian 61-57 in championship game

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The championship game of the Big Horn Basin Classic girls’ basketball tournament — between undefeated Class 2A powerhouse Wyoming Indian and the tournament co-host 3A Powell High School Lady Panthers — was one to remember.

In a rematch of the teams’ final contest of 2018, the Lady Chiefs (14-0) overcame a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to escape with a 61-57 win and the tournament title. But despite the loss, Lady Panthers’ head coach Scott McKenzie said the tournament represented the best his team has played all season.

“It was a great weekend for us. We get four games for the price of two, which you can’t beat that for experience,” McKenzie said. “I thought our girls got better every game over the weekend, and what a great game for the fans to end the day with.”

The Lady Panthers (6-4) will open 3A Northwest Conference play on Friday at Worland, then host Lander Saturday.

“Worland is a great environment to play in, that’s where regionals will be this year,” Coach McKenzie said. “We’ve had good success on that floor over the years, and we hope to continue that this weekend.”

Wyoming Indian 61, Powell 57

When the Lady Panthers and Lady Chiefs played before the Christmas break, Powell struggled to get into an offensive rhythm, turning the ball over a whopping 31 times. The Lady Panthers took better care of the ball the second time around, and were in a position to pull the upset before Wyoming Indian closed the door, winning 61-57.

“We gave Wyoming Indian a much better game than the first time around,” McKenzie said. “I really thought we could get them, and we almost did.”

The teams were evenly matched, with neither able to gain a sizable advantage over the other for most of the game. With her team down by one 29-28 with seconds to go in the first half, PHS senior Ashtyn Heny sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lady Panthers a 31-29 lead at the break.

“As a coach, you have to be happy with double figures each quarter,” McKenzie said.

The Lady Panthers opened up a 45-35 lead in the third quarter, as Rachel Bonander and Aubrie Stenerson took advantage of timely turnovers by the Lady Chiefs to go on a 14-6 run. But Wyoming Indian showed why they are the top-ranked team in 2A, battling back in the fourth to tie the game at 49-49 with just under six minutes left. It was back and forth from that point on. With Powell down 59-55 with 20 seconds to play, Bonander scored from under the basket and was fouled. Going to the line with a chance to cut the lead to one, the senior was unable to convert, and Wyoming Indian held on to avoid the upset.

It was a tough loss, but one that could have easily gone the other way, according to Coach McKenzie.

“We made some adjustments to our press break, got some girls in the middle there and got the ball to Aubrie [Stenerson] and Rachel [Bonander] who would finish at the bucket,” he said. “Nineteen turnovers is much better than 31. We just attacked them better, I was really pleased with our effort. A few things go a little differently at the end there, who knows. If you look statistically, we had the right girl fouled, but a credit to them, they stepped up and made the free throws when they needed to.”

Three Lady Panthers finished in double digits, led by Bonander’s 22 points to go along with eight rebounds. Stenerson finished with 13 points, and recorded four apiece in rebounds, assists and steals; the senior also blocked three shots.

Heny hit three 3-pointers en route to a season-high 11 points. She also added five assists and four rebounds.

“Big shooting game for Ashtyn [Heny] with three 3-pointers,” Coach McKenzie said. “We get three girls there in double figures and just great play from everyone on the court. I’m very proud of our effort.”

Jasmyne Lensegrav scored five points off the bench, while Karlie McKenzie added four, to go along with five assists and two steals.

“Jasmyne [Lensegrav]’s role is she’s kind of a spark plug for us off the bench,” Coach McKenzie said. “She definitely showed that this weekend.”

Powell 33, Greybull 22

In the semifinal game Saturday morning, Powell squared off against 2A Greybull (8-4), a team that earned its spot with impressive wins over Wind River and Lander.

The Lady Panthers struggled offensively the first three quarters, including a 13-minute stretch where the team failed to score a point. But Powell came alive in the fourth, breaking out of its funk and scoring 16 points to cruise to a 33-22 win.

“We went 13 game minutes without scoring, but we made some adjustments on our zone offense,” Coach McKenzie said. “Ashtyn [Heny] and Katie [McKenzie] both hit some big threes and Rachel [Bonander] got going a bit inside. We stayed aggressive, made some free throws and got in a rhythm with our perimeter shots.”

Bonander led the Lady Panthers with her second double-double in as many games, netting 13 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Stenerson finished with five points, all coming at the free throw line. Katie McKenzie also scored five, to go along with five steals and three assists — both team highs.

Karlie McKenzie recorded four points, while Devon Curtis finished with three.

Powell 61, Thermopolis 27

Powell made short work of Thermopolis (4-5) in Friday’s second game, beating the scrappy but inexperienced Lady Bobcats 61-27.

Heny, Stenerson and Brea Terry each hit a pair of 3-pointers, with Stenerson leading all scorers with 23 points.

“Aubrie [Stenerson] is definitely capable of that; she hit a couple of threes in this game, which is big,” Coach McKenzie said.

Bonander finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while Brea Terry also cracked double digits with 11 points.

“Brea [Terry] came through with two 3-pointers, scores 11 points — that’s her career high as a Lady Panther,” Coach McKenzie said. “That’s very exciting for her.”

Karlie McKenzie proved she can share the wealth, dishing off eight assists and recording three steals to go along with two points. Heny scored six points and Devon Curtis was a force in the paint, grabbing seven rebounds in the winning effort. Michele Wagner had three assists, three rebounds and a steal off the bench, while varsity newcomer Tenna Desjarlais scored her first official varsity point with a free throw.

Lady Panthers 46, Shoshoni 23

Powell opened the Big Horn Basin Classic Friday in impressive fashion, doubling up the Shoshoni Lady Wranglers (5-6) by a score of 46-23.

“The inside-out game ... I thought was a big factor,” McKenzie said. “We had Rachel [Bonander] going early, and the rim loosened up for Katie and Karlie. I thought we had great defense, and we played very unselfish. It was just an overall great start to the weekend.”

Bonander and Stenerson led the way for the Lady Panthers, scoring 18 and 13 points, respectively, while blocking three shots apiece. Katie McKenzie finished with six points, to go along with a team-high six assists and three steals. Karlie McKenzie netted five points and led the team in steals with five.

“Katie did a great job for us. She got going from the 3-point line, sinking two in that game,” Coach McKenzie said. “That really helped us to get going offensively.”

In all, Powell finished with 21 steals, with Stenerson, Bonander and Terry recording three apiece. Curtis “did a nice job on the boards,” the coach said, collecting five rebounds.

Powell High School, Panther Basketball

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