Two important contests with the season winding down had the No. 3-ranked Powell Panthers matching up against the No. 2-ranked Worland Warriors and the top rated 3A Northeast team Buffalo — where the Panthers dropped a difficult home game to the Warriors 60-43 on Friday before defeating the Bison 53-42 on the road Saturday.

WORLAND 60, POWELL 43

Rounding out an extended home stand, the Panthers (11-5 overall, 2-2 3A Northwest) looked to get revenge on the Warriors (14-3 overall, 5-0 3A Northwest) who defeated the Panthers a couple weeks’ prior.

Worland set the tone from the start, bringing a strong inside presence alongside a physical defense to not allow the Panthers to be comfortable from the jump.

“Worland did a really good job of forcing us out of our system and it caused us to be a little too impatient on the offensive end of the floor,” coach Mike Heny said. “We didn’t move the ball side to side very well and we took a lot of off-balance shots and contested jumpers. Against a really good defensive team like Worland, you have to be willing to work longer into a possession to get the shot we want and not let them dictate our movement and ultimately, our shot selection.”

Powell trailed 11-5 with three minutes remaining in the quarter and cut it to 13-12 late, before a 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Worland a 16-12 lead after the first.

Powell continued to trail, but kept it within a possession after a Brock Johnson putback on a missed Gunnar Erickson free throw made it 20-18 with 5:30 remaining.

Worland adjusted to the Panthers denying interior lobs, instead setting screens off-ball to get shooters open as the Warriors were strong from 3-point range.

“Worland runs their offensive very well and can adjust quickly if the defense is taking something away,” Heny said. “What makes them really tough is their ability to both drive hard and finish around the rim as well as shoot from the perimeter.”

Powell continued to get within a single possession but could not take the lead and trailed 28-24 at halftime.

Worland continued to have a physical presence and pushed the lead out to seven early, with the Panthers struggling to keep Johnson and Trey Stenerson out of foul trouble with each having three fouls in the third.

Powell was unable to get into an offensive groove in the third quarter, trailing 47-32 after the third quarter.

“I didn’t think we had the defensive intensity we needed in the second half to make it more difficult for them to score,” Heny said. “They got a lot of open looks and they made us pay each time we had a defensive lapse. They were more aggressive and out hustled us way too much for us to overcome.”

Powell cut the lead down to 10 on a pair of Alex Jordan free throws early in the fourth, but Worland responded and put the game out of reach in a 60-43 victory.

That victory coupled with another victory on Saturday guaranteed the Warriors the No. 1 seed out of the Northwest at the regional tournament in just over two weeks.

Stenerson led the Panthers with 10 points followed closely by Johnson with nine and Erickson with eight.

POWELL 53, BUFFALO 42

Heading on the road Saturday the Panthers got a preview of one of the top 3A East conference teams, squaring off with 3A Northeast leaders Buffalo (10-6 overall, 3-0 3A Northeast).

Despite being without starter Marshall Lewis, Powell erupted out of the gates — pushing the pace en route to an early 11-3 lead midway through the first quarter.

“Against Buffalo, I just wanted them to come out and push the pace,” Heny said. “We were able to get to the rim a lot early because we were attacking off of their press.”

Buffalo answered with an extended run into the second quarter, taking a 16-12 lead over the Panthers after dropping back into a halfcourt defensive set — with the Panther ball movement coming to a standstill.

The Bison continued to hold the lead, taking a 22-20 lead into the halftime break.

The two teams exchanged blows throughout the third quarter, before Powell ultimately got the upperhand with a late 7-0 run to take a 36-30 lead going into the fourth quarter.

“We didn’t change a single thing we were doing and I just told them to go out and move the ball better and play harder,” Heny said. “I give all the credit to the players because they went out and picked up their intensity on both ends which led to some steals and run outs that turned the whole game in our favor.”

Powell continued its strong finish to end the third and pushed the lead out to double-digits in the fourth quarter, finishing with a 53-42 road victory.

“Playing good teams on the road in mid to late February is important for us because it really prepares you mentally for postseason play,” Heny said. “I thought we had a little bit of an emotional let down after Friday’s game and it showed in the first half. However, the kids found the right switch to turn things around and it showed them the energy level necessary to beat good teams on their home floor.”

Erickson led the Panthers with 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals, alongside Johnson who finished with 13 points.

SOUTHWEST TEST

Powell now heads to the southwest portion of the state, heading to Lyman and Mountain View to take on a pair of 3A Southwest opponents.

The Panthers start in Lyman on Friday against the No. 5-ranked Eagles (10-7 overall, 2-2 3A Southwest) at 7 p.m.

Powell then gets a chance to play in the Mountain View (2-16 overall, 0-4 3A Southwest) gym, where the 3A West Regionals will be held in just over two weeks.

“We just need to continue to focus on our execution on offense, defense, and in transition this week,” Heny said. “At times we get stagnant and take too many tough shots and we don’t play at a pace that allows us to attack before the opposing defense can get organized. We also don’t have all five guys on the floor playing aggressive enough on the defensive end.”

1,000 WINS

Powell surpassed the 1,000 win mark as a program on Feb. 4 with a victory over Pinedale, reaching the mark after 88 years since the program started in 1935.

The Panthers have accumulated three state championships over that time, finished with more than 20 wins seven times and had 51 double-digit win seasons including this season.

WORLAND 60, POWELL 43

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Trey Stenerson 10, Brock Johnson 9, Gunnar Erickson 8, Jace Hyde 4, Alex Jordan 4, Jhett Schwahn 3, Cade Queen 3, Marshall Lewis 2

Rebounds — Brock Johnson 7 (3), Trey Stenerson 4, Jhett Schwahn 4 (2), Jace Hyde 2 (1), Gunnar Erickson 2 (1), Marshall Lewis 1, Cade Queen 1 (1), Alex Jordan 1 (1)

Assists — Brock Johnson 4, Marshall Lewis 1, Jace Hyde 1, Gunnar Erickson 1

Steals — Marshall Lewis 1, Brock Johnson 1, Gunnar Erickson 1

Blocks — Trey Stenerson 1

POWELL 53, BUFFALO 42

Points — Gunnar Erickson 20, Brock Johnson 13, Trey Stenerson 7, Jhett Schwahn 7, Alex Jordan 4, Jace Hyde 1, Cade Queen 1

Rebounds — Trey Stenerson 9 (3), Gunnar Erickson 7 (3), Alex Jordan 5, Brock Johnson 4 (3), Jace Hyde 4 (2), Cade Queen 3 (1), Jhett Schwahn 2

Assists — Gunnar Erickson 4, Jhett Schwahn 2, Alex Jordan 2, Brock Johnson 1, Trey Stenerson 1, Cade Queen 1

Steals — Trey Stenerson 4, Gunnar Erickson 4, Brock Johnson 2, Jhett Schwahn 2, Cade Queen 2

Blocks — Cade Queen 1