Returning from winter break the Powell Panther girls’ wrestling team made the trip to Bozeman, Montana, to take part in the Tom LeProwse Tournament on Friday and Saturday, finishing with two finalists and three medalists total in their first action after break.

“Coming into this tournament from break you are concerned if your team will come out flat,” coach David Holland said. “Bozeman is a tough tournament and we came into practice Monday after Christmas and got right after it. The girls seemed focused and put in their time during our practices.”

He said that over the break the team was able to hold longer practices, allowing for them to make adjustments from their first two tournaments of the year before heading to Montana.

“We worked on some fixes that we know that we have needed to make adjustments on from our first two tournaments of the year,” Holland said. “Having those longer practices you have the ability to really take the time to work on those fixes to prepare for future matches. I have told the girls that we come to these tough tournaments to gain experience from tough matches. It helps them grow as athletes.”

In the Tom LeProwse, Allison LeBlanc was the first Panther to make a final, earning a close 7-2 win in the second round following a first round bye, before two straight pins moved her into the final.

A long match in the championship bout saw LeBlanc come up short as she was pinned by Hannah Leonard of Billings Skyview.

“My focus going into Bozeman was to try and beat the girl who had been the only girl to beat me all season,” LeBlanc said. “I knew it would be a very hard tournament but I was ready to take anything head on. After taking second it was a hard loss to recover from because I was ahead on points when she had pinned me.”

Nalani Jordan was the other Panther to advance to a final, earning two pins and a 16-10 decision in the semifinal.

She came up just short against Kennady Krebs of Lockwood, who pinned Jordan in the championship.

“I was a little heated after placing second because I thought I could do better against my finals opponent,” Jordan said.

Holland added that Jordan’s focus heading into the tournament was to wrestle her hardest and try to not be worried about the outcomes of each match. 

The final athlete to place for the Panthers was Caydee Eden who took fourth, going 3-2 at 100 pounds.

Eleasah Horsley went 2-2 at 115 points, Joriana Hine went 1-2 at 105 pounds, River James went 1-2 at 115 pounds, Harley Spinden went 0-2 at 120 pounds and Ellidi Joy went 0-2 at 170 pounds in the initial tournament.

On Saturday in a second chance tournament Horsley went 2-0 to earn the top spot in her weight, Spinden went 1-2 and placed fourth while James and Joy each finished 0-2.

“That was a great opportunity for those girls to get extra matches,” Holland said. 

Powell finished 14th with 79 points, while Billings Senior ran away with the team title with 269.5 points.

“One thing that I love about our girls is that they do not shy away from tough competition. They thrive on it and like to be a thorn in their competitors’ side,” Holland said.

He added that last year the team finished with 49.5 points with one placer while significantly improving their point total this year.

Heading into a busy week, the Panthers will return to Wyoming for the remainder of the season, starting with a quad in Cody on Tuesday as Powell will dual Montana teams Huntley Project and Laurel.

Those matches are set to begin at 5 p.m.

Powell then heads out on the road, making the trip to Douglas to take part in the Shane Shatto Memorial on Friday and Saturday.

“Working on fixes with the girls, watching their matches, staying positive and healthy this week are our focuses,” Holland said. “Also, as we hit the busy part of the season, we have to remind ourselves to go out there and have some fun.”

Following the dual on Tuesday the Panthers are not scheduled to compete in Park County until Feb. 6 in a dual against Thermopolis.