So far, so good, for the Panther boys’ basketball team.

The Powell High School squad remains undefeated on the young season, reeling off wins against Wheatland, Burns and Douglas at last weekend’s Lander Classic.

With a stiff early schedule, PHS head coach Mike Heny suspects not many people would have guessed that the Panthers would start the 2025-26 campaign with six straight wins.

“For us to be where we’re at going into break, at 6-0, it’s promising,” Heny said, “since I think we still have our best basketball yet to come.”

Powell 49, Wheatland 37

The No. 4-ranked Panthers grabbed an early 9-3 lead against No. 3-ranked Wheatland on Friday. However, Heny said his team got into some bad habits in the second quarter and they trailed 22-17 at halftime.

By the end of the third quarter, Wheatland was still up by three, 33-30, but the fourth period would belong to the Powell boys.

Just seconds into the quarter, Taeson Schultz knocked down an equalizing 3-pointer and “gave us a big energy boost,” Heny said. 

Kason Sherman quickly followed up with a trey of his own that put Powell up 36-34. After regaining the lead, the Panthers never looked back, holding Wheatland to just three points the rest of the way and winning by 12.

“Our depth wore them out,” Heny said. “I thought we played really well.”

Nathan Preator led Powell with 18 points — hitting four of the team’s nine 3-pointers — and six steals. Brady Harvey grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.

Powell 67, Burns 49

Later on Friday, PHS took on Burns and jumped all over the 3A newcomers, building a 43-17 lead at halftime.

“Our team speed got by them, I think, a little bit of surprise, and we just raced out,” Heny said. In the first half, “just kind of everything that we're looking to do with this group was going well,” he said.

Things were going well enough that, if not for missing a few point-blank layups, it could have been an even bigger PHS lead, Heny said.

Meanwhile, PHS locked down the Burns offense by disrupting their passing lanes. Caden Nelson played a key role, amassing eight steals in the game.

“He closes that gap so quickly it catches teams a little off guard,” Heny said. “And he just turned that into a personal layup drill.”

Though the Panther victory was never in jeopardy, Burns put up more of a fight in the second half while PHS wasn’t as sharp.

“It’s just one of those things where I didn’t feel like we played with the energy that we need, regardless of what the score is on the scoreboard,” Heny said, but the Panthers still cruised to an 18-point win.

Nelson finished with 15 points — sinking 8 of his 12 attempts from the floor — while Praetor and Taeson Schultz added 13 points apiece. Sherman joined them in double figures with 10 points while Schultz and Landon Hyde grabbed a team-best six boards.

Powell 74, Douglas 59

On Saturday, the Panthers faced a rematch with Douglas, which ousted PHS from the Class 3A state tournament back in March. 

The Bearcats entered the weekend as the class’ No. 2-ranked team, and “I challenged the kids to come out and just kind of let it all hang out and have fun and go after them,” Heny said.

Douglas was playing their fourth game of the tournament and second of the day, so the Panthers tried to push the pace and make their opponents run.

Powell grabbed a 21-15 lead in the first quarter, but Douglas trimmed the PHS advantage to 36-33 by halftime.

In the third quarter, however, the Panthers got hot from the perimeter and pulled away. They scored 26 points in the period while holding the Bearcats to just 11.

“[The] kids played unbelievably well, especially in that third quarter/start of the fourth,” Heny said, describing it as some of the most fun basketball he’s coached.

The Panthers hit 10 of their 22 attempts from 3-point range — including 6 of 10 in the second half — with Schultz accounting for five of those treys. 

“If we shoot the ball at that clip from the perimeter, with how good Nathan Preator was playing … and generating steals and easy buckets, we’re gonna be a tough out for sure,” Heny said.

Preator put up 22 points and added 10 assists. Landon Hyde scored 17 points, while Schultz and Nelson contributed 15 apiece. Harvey and Sherman had five rebounds.

Looking forward

At the Lander tournament, “I felt like we showed what we’re capable of when we’re clicking on all cylinders,” Heny said, but he also told his squad they’re just “scratching the surface.”

As one example, he expects opponents will scout and attempt to slow PHS’ transition game, which means the squad will need to prepare to play more half-court basketball as the season progresses.

“We got a lot to do yet,” Heny said, “and that’s what’s really exciting about this group.”

After taking the week off, the Panthers return to practice Monday, Dec. 29, with their annual alumni game at 4 p.m. that day. Their next official contest is slated for Thursday, Jan. 8, when they’ll host Rocky Mountain at 7 p.m.

Powell 49, Wheatland 37

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Nathan Preator 18, Landon Hyde 7, Kason Sherman 6, Brady Harvey 5, Taeson Schultz 5, Abel Teten 5, Caden Nelson 3

Rebounds — Brady Harvey 8 (2), Caden Nelson 4 (2), Nathan Preator 4 (3), Landon Hyde 3 (1), Taeson Schultz 3 (1), Kason Sherman 3

Assists — Caden Nelson 4, Brady Harvey 2, Taeson Schultz 2, Kason Sherman 2, Nathan Preator 1, Abel Teten 1

Steals — Nathan Preator 6, Caden Nelson 2, Brady Harvey 1

Powell 67, Burns 49

Points — Caden Nelson 15, Nathan Preator 13, Taeson Schultz 13, Kason Sherman 10, Abel Teten 6, Brady Harvey 4, Landon Hyde 4, Eli Dallman 2

Rebounds — Landon Hyde 6 (1), Taeson Schultz 6 (3), Brady Harvey 5 (5), Kason Sherman 4 (1), Abel Teten 3 (1), Caden Nelson 2 (1), Nathan Preator 2 (1)

Assists — Taeson Schultz 6, Caden Nelson 4, Nathan Preator 3, Landon Hyde 2, Abel Teten 2, Brady Harvey 1, Kason Sherman 1, 

Steals — Caden Nelson 8, Nathan Preator 2, Taeson Schultz 2, Landon Hyde 1, Abel Teten 1

Blocks — Brady Harvey 2, Taeson Schultz 1

Powell 74, Douglas 59

Points — Nathan Preator 22, Landon Hyde 17, Caden Nelson 15, Taeson Schultz 15, Abel Teten 3, Brady Harvey 2

Rebounds — Brady Harvey 5 (3), Landon Hyde 4 (3), Nathan Preator 4, Taeson Schultz 4 (1), Caden Nelson 3 (1), Abel Teten 1

Assists — Nathan Preator 10, Landon Hyde 4, Taeson Schultz 4, Abel Teten 4, Brady Harvey 1, Caden Nelson 1

Steals — Nathan Preator 4, Caden Nelson 3, Brady Harvey 2, Abel Teten 2, Landon Hyde 1