Panthers 1-2 at Big Horn Basin Classic

Losses to Wyoming Indian, Worland; beat Burlington

Posted 1/15/19

The weekend was a mixed bag for the Powell High School boys’ basketball team, as the Panthers finished 1-2 at the Big Horn Basin Classic in Worland.

After falling to Wyoming Indian (10-4) …

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Panthers 1-2 at Big Horn Basin Classic

Losses to Wyoming Indian, Worland; beat Burlington

Posted

The weekend was a mixed bag for the Powell High School boys’ basketball team, as the Panthers finished 1-2 at the Big Horn Basin Classic in Worland.

After falling to Wyoming Indian (10-4) 72-52 Friday afternoon to open the tournament, the Panthers (3-6) rebounded later that day against Burlington (7-4), winning 71-43. On Saturday, Powell gave conference rival Worland (5-4) all they could handle before fading in the fourth quarter and losing 66-59.

“It was up and down. We played well at times, but we also had some setbacks and mistakes made as well,” said Powell head coach Chase Kistler. “It was definitely a rollercoaster weekend, but in all, I think the guys learned a lot. They learned what intensity they’re going to have to play at, and I think they also saw a glimpse of, to be successful, how well you have to take care of the ball.”

The Panthers will be back at Worland Friday for another shot at the Warriors, followed by a home game against Lander on Saturday. Kistler said the keys in those two conference matchups will be to shore up the defense.

“Our rebounding is good; we out-rebound most teams,” he said. “We just have to be more consistent and value each of our offensive sets. We need to value every possession.”

Worland 66, Panthers 59

The Panthers closed out the weekend against conference rival Worland, and despite missing one of the team’s leading scorers for the first quarter, the Panthers jumped out to a quick start with a 9-0 run.

However, when Powell’s Jesse Brown tried to draw a charge on a Worland possession, he was instead given a technical for flopping. The unusual call turned into a four-point play for Worland, killing the Panthers’ momentum and allowing the Warriors back into the game.

“We came out really quick, we played a really good first quarter, except for one huge mistake,” Kistler said. “We got called for a technical on a flop underneath, and that was the second time this weekend we got called for it. And I believe it’s the first two times I’ve ever seen it called.”

The Warriors quickly knotted the game up at 9-all.

“They got nine points in like 27 seconds, and it was a dogfight from there on out,” Kistler said.

Worland led 29-26 at the half after a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Luke Mortimer, with the Warriors’ four 3-pointers in the half making the difference. PHS senior Carson Heinen was the team’s leading scorer at the break with eight points.

Senior Kaelan Groves had three points in the first half. He missed the first quarter because of an incident the day before against Wyoming Indian — in which he received a technical for undercutting a Chiefs’ player on a breakaway. Though Groves wasn’t ejected, Kistler and his staff imposed a one-quarter penalty after reviewing the tape.

“We thought it would be best to have him sit the first quarter, just to be on the safe side,” Kistler said.

The second half was just as tight as the first, with Worland continuing its assault from behind the arc, hitting five of six 3-pointers in the third quarter and making 14 of 17 shots from the floor in the second half.

The Panthers cut the lead to three late in the fourth, but a couple of costly turnovers allowed the Warriors to hold on for the win.

“We could have overtaken them and grabbed the lead, but again, turnovers right at the end of the game,” Kistler said. “They finished us off with free throws.”

Groves led the team with 16 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Heinen finished with 12 points, while Marchant netted 11. Dalton Woodward netted eight points, with Jesse Brown rounding out the top scorers with seven.

Mortimer and Rudy Sanford finished with 19 points apiece to lead the Warriors.

Wyoming Indian 72, Panthers 52

The Panthers opened the Big Horn Basin Classic against a familiar foe on Friday, squaring off against 2A Wyoming Indian — a team Powell beat 57-45 earlier this season.

“It was a rough game,” Kistler said. “We sure didn’t get the shots that we wanted, and we got into kind of a running match with them, which played more to their favor.”

But in a game marred by sloppy play, the outcome was decidedly different from the first matchup between the two teams. The Chiefs avenged their earlier loss, rolling to a 72-52 win.

“The game control just kind of got away from everyone involved — couple of cheap shots given, a technical given to us, an ejection given to them,” Kistler said. “The game just kind of got out of control, really. It’s one of those things where if it’s not handled quickly and correctly, the little nit-picky things keep getting bigger and bigger, and that’s what happened.”

Kistler said he told the team following the game that it was important to keep their emotions in check — especially when dealing with negativity.

“You want to play with emotion, but you don’t want any outside events dictating how your emotions play on it,” he said. “You want your emotions to be positive, even when you’re playing with frustration. While you think you may be playing harder, you may actually be pushing too much, and you’ll get a worse response. You want to keep your head all the way through the game, let the other guys self-destruct. Don’t let them get under your skin.”

Panthers 71, Burlington 43

Following the tough loss to Wyoming Indian, the Panthers got back into the win column Friday night, cruising to an easy win against 1A Burlington 71-43.

“It was a good win for us; we needed some positives,” Kistler said. “Burlington is a good team. They play hard. But I knew it was a game we should definitely win comfortably. I was happy with how the guys performed. A lot of the guys got in.”

The Huskies were without their best player in Dontae Garza, one of the top players in 1A, who was injured earlier in the day against Wyoming Indian. The Panthers took advantage, jumping out to an 19-12 lead behind 7 for 12 shooting from the floor after the first quarter.

Powell pushed that lead to 36-24 at the half, led by a pair of sophomores coming off the bench in Landon Lengfelder and Mason Marchant. Lengfelder scored eight points in the first quarter, while Marchant followed with nine points in the second.  

The Panthers exploded in the third quarter behind another seven points from Marchant, leading 54-32 heading into the fourth.

Four Panthers finished in double figures, led by Marchant with 19. Groves scored 13 and Lengfelder finished with 11 points, while Carson Heinen netted 10. In all, 10 players recorded at least a point on the final stat sheet.

Kistler said different players stepped up over the weekend at different times, and he’s looking forward to the team pulling it together at the same time.

“Carson Heinen had some good moments against Worland, where his post play was really dominating,” the coach said. “[Dalton] Woodward had some dominating post movements as well. Mason Marchant coming off the bench against Burlington, he was the spark in that game. Landon Lengfelder hit a few big shots, Jesse Brown hit some big shots.”

“It’s just all been at different times,” Kistler said. “It will be exciting when it all comes together at the same time.”

Powell High School, Panther Basketball

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