Coming into the 2021-22 season, the Panther boys’ basketball team had little varsity experience returning and no state experience, featuring only four seniors. 

The Panthers hit their stride in winning the Class 3A West regional tournament at home, earning them the No. 1 seed at the state tournament. The squad fell short of their ultimate goal of a state title last weekend, beating Thermopolis in the quarterfinal 70-40, before losing to Douglas 59-45 in the semifinal and 41-25 to Buffalo in the third-place game.

POWELL 70, THERMOPOLIS 40

Winning the West’s regional tournament meant that the Panthers (15-12) matched up with the No. 4 seed out of the East. It set up a Thursday rematch with Thermopolis (11-16), who the Panthers defeated earlier in the season.

The Panthers took advantage of strong shooting early and held an 18-8 lead over Thermopolis after the first quarter.

“It was really good to come out and play as well as we did against Thermopolis,” Panther head coach Mike Heny said. “Since none of the kids had ever played in a state tournament, getting off to a good start allowed the kids to relax and play loose.”

The Panthers continued to control the game, using their advantage on the boards as well as a strong defensive effort to hold the Bobcats to 8-of-23 shooting from the field in the first half and to take a 39-20 lead into halftime.

Powell did not let up in the second half, leading by as many as 31 points in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Heny got his bench players into the final minutes.

“The kids played extremely well and that was one of our best offensive performances of the year,” Heny said. “Everyone in uniform got into the game and it’s important for everyone to get a chance to play at the state tournament to build that experience for future years.”

The Panthers finished with a 70-40 victory, advancing them to the semifinals against Douglas on Friday.

Powell was paced by sophomore Brock Johnson who finished with a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double before fouling out. Sophomore Gunnar Erickson was just behind Johnson with 15 points and senior Zach Ratcliff added 14.

DOUGLAS 59, POWELL 45

After their quarterfinal victory, the Panthers matched up with state title favorite Douglas (24-4) on Friday at Casper College, with a berth in the state championship on the line.

Despite their limited experience, the young Panthers did not back down. Powell came out flying around the court, diving for every loose ball and frustrating the Bearcats early, taking a 12-6 lead heading into the second quarter.

The Panthers continued to match Douglas, using a strong 5-of-7 performance from 3-point range to take a 24-18 lead into the locker room. An early basket in the second half gave the Panthers their largest lead of the game at eight points, but Douglas was not going to go away easily.

The Panthers scored three points the rest of the quarter, as the Bearcats’ defensive intensity allowed them to outscore Powell 18-5 and take a 36-29 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

“Douglas forced us off our spots and made it difficult for us to get the same types of open looks that we were getting in the first half,” Heny said. “They are a very athletic and deep team at all positions and they were one of the top defensive teams all year long for a reason.”

Douglas continue its momentum in the final quarter, outscoring the Panthers 23-16 and winning 59-45.

Erickson paced the Panthers with 18 points. Senior Toran Graham was the only other double digit scorer, with 11 points.

BUFFALO 41, POWELL 25

On Saturday afternoon, the Panthers took on Buffalo (19-9) in the third-place game. A quick turnaround from a late night loss can lead to a lull in play, and the Panthers were hit with their lowest scoring half of the season.

In the first quarter, Powell only mustered one point from a Graham free throw and didn’t get their next point until Erickson hit a free throw midway through the second quarter.

Powell only scored four points in the half, going 0-of-24 from the field, but still only trailed 13-4.

“Saturday’s offensive issues were probably the combination of a let down from Friday’s game and the quick turnaround from playing a later game and then having an early afternoon game the next day,” Heny said. “We didn’t seem to have the same level of energy as we had in our previous games. It takes experience in those types of games to be able to overcome the emotions of losing the night before and getting ready to play at a level needed to bring home a third place trophy.”

Powell finally got its first basket at the start of the third quarter, and outscored their first half production over the first minutes of the third quarter. However, Buffalo also began to score at a higher clip, as they took a 27-15 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Bison never allowed the Panthers to make a run, walking away with a 41-25 win.

“It was just one of those games where nothing would go in,” Heny said. “Buffalo was playing well on defense and we simply couldn’t get anything to fall. The kids continued to play hard until the end but it was just not our day offensively.”

Erickson and Johnson led Powell with 11 points each.

BRIGHT FUTURE

The Panthers came into this season with little experience and the expectation of an improving team, and they walked away with a regional title and a semifinal berth at the state tournament.

“These kids worked hard every day to get better and develop as players,” Heny said, adding, “I don’t measure success by wins and losses but rather with how the kids improved and whether or not we represented the school and the community with pride and class. I couldn’t be more pleased with what these young men accomplished this season in that regard.”

The Panthers will lose starters in Graham, Ratcliff and Keaton Rowton as well as Jay Washington off the bench to graduation heading into next year.

The Panthers will return two starters in Erickson and Johnson, as well as bench depth that ran as many as 10 players deep during the state tournament and eight athletes who played at the state tournament.

Heny said the experience gained this year will be invaluable to the program moving forward, as they want to give themselves the opportunity to compete every year in the state championship. The coach hopes the returners will draw from that experience if they are fortunate enough to make it to state in the coming years.

Moving forward, the Panthers will see a different conference, as Thermopolis is set to move to the northwest next year. Lander is expected to move to the southwest, while Burns and Kemmerer move down to 2A and Glenrock moves into 3A.

“The culture we established will really set the table for future players and give us the foundation we need to continue building a program this community can be proud of,” Heny said.

POWELL 70, THERMOPOLIS 40

Points — Brock Johnson 16, Gunnar Erickson 15, Zach Ratcliff 14, Trey Stenerson 7, Keaton Rowton 6, Marshall Lewis 4, Toran Graham 4, Jace Hyde 2, Jhett Schwahn 2

Rebounds — Johnson 11, Erickson 9, Stenerson 6, Graham 5, Schwahn 3, Ratcliff 3, Cade Queen 3, Rowton 1

Assists — Johnson 3, Stenerson 3, Ratcliff 2, Schwahn 1, Jay Washington 1

Steals — Johnson 3, Ratcliff 3, Rowton 2, Stenerson 1, Erickson 1, Lewis 1

DOUGLAS 59, POWELL 45

Points — Erickson 18, Graham 11, Ratcliff 8, Johnson 5, Lewis 3

Rebounds — Johnson 4, Stenerson 4, Erickson 4, Graham 4, Ratcliff 3, Schwahn 1

Assists — Johnson 4, Stenerson 1, Ratcliff 1

Steals — Johnson 3, Erickson 1, Graham 1

BUFFALO 41, POWELL 25

Points — Johnson 11, Erickson 11, Graham 3

Rebounds — Erickson 6, Ratcliff 5, Graham 5, Johnson 4, Stenerson 4, Washington 2, Rowton 1, Schwahn 1

Assists — Graham 1

Steals — Rowton 2, Ratcliff 2, Erickson 2, Johnson 1