Two conference games ended the regular season at home for the Powell High School boys’ basketball team, as the Panthers fell to Lovell 58-48 on Thursday before defeating Cody 52-36 on Friday.

LOVELL 58, POWELL 48

Starting on Thursday the Panthers (14-8 overall, 3-7 3A West) welcomed in the Bulldogs (20-2 overall, 10-0 3A west).

Early on the two teams went back-and-forth, as the visitors held a close 6-5 lead midway through the first.

Lovell started creating separation the rest of the quarter, going on an 8-2 stretch to lead 14-7 heading into the second.

The lead hit double-digits in the second, as the visitors led 24-12 midway through the frame.

Powell shut down the visitor’s attack, only trailing 26-18 at the break.

Lovell appeared to be pulling away early in the third, making it a 35-20 advantage just under three minutes in.

The lead hit as many as 16, as Powell trailed 42-29 heading into the fourth quarter.

Powell trimmed the lead in the fourth, cutting it down to a 49-42 game after a Landon Hyde 3-pointer midway through.

Powell got as close as six trailing 54-48 with just over two minutes remaining on a Nathan Preator 3-pointer, but the Panthers couldn’t find enough offense to complete the comeback in the 58-48 loss.

“We were able to do a lot of things better than the first time we played them,” coach Mike Heny said. “Having the ball only down six with a couple of minutes to go definitely was a massive improvement from the game in January.”

Hyde led with 19 points, Preator added 17.

Taeson Schultz led with nine rebounds and five assists, Caden Nelson and Kason Sherman led with two steals each while Preator had the lone block.

POWELL 52, CODY 36

In the final game of the season the Panthers welcomed in the Broncs (9-13 overall, 6-4 3A West), hoping to flip a narrow road loss from a month prior.

Neither team found separation early, as the Panthers and Broncs were tied 6-6 midway through the first.

Scoring picked up the rest of the period, but neither team held a lead at the quarter break as it was tied at 14.

Cody claimed the lead midway through the second at 19-17.

Powell took the halftime lead after a Hyde layup as the Panthers were up 25-23 heading into the locker room.

The Panthers quickly made it a double-digit game starting the second half, as Powell led 34-23 after a Schultz 3-pointer midway through forcing a timeout by the visitors.

Powell’s defense picked up, and the Panthers kept their double-digit lead 42-29 heading into the fourth quarter.

An 8-4 stretch started the fourth, as the Panthers pulled away behind a strong defensive second half for a 52-36 win.

“The game against Cody was important in a number of ways. Most importantly, we needed to try to get out of our four-game losing streak and build some momentum going into regionals,” Heny said. “We were also faced with having to play Lovell on their home floor with a loss. Finally, the kids wanted to play well on senior night and finish with a win against a tough rival.”

Preator led with 22 points, Schultz added 10 as the other Panther in double figures.

Preator added six rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block to lead Powell in every category.

REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

Powell heads on the road for the regional tournament, making the quick drive to Lovell starting Thursday.

The Panthers will have a second consecutive game against the Broncs, as Powell snuck into the No. 7 seed following tiebreakers and the Broncs claimed the No. 2 seed in the tournament.

“We’ll certainly need to defend like we did in the second half once Thursday rolls around,” Heny said. “Teams at this point in the season can only do some many things differently in a week, so it will come down to the little things on Thursday if we hope to have a chance to advance in the winners’ bracket.”

The opening contest will be at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, as the Panthers will need to win two before they lose two to advance to the state tournament next week in Casper.

If Powell wins it will take on the winner of No. 3 Pinedale and No. 6 Mountain View at 6 p.m. on Friday; if Powell loses it will take on the loser of that contest at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

“We just need to keep on playing together and playing to our strengths,” Heny said. “It seems that the west is really evenly matched for the 2-8 seeds. So every game will be a battle to see who can get to the state tournament. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more competitive regionals in that regard.”

LOVELL 58, POWELL 48

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Landon Hyde 19, Nathan Preator 17, Kason Sherman 6, Eli Dallman 3, Taeson Schultz 2, Caden Nelson 1

Rebounds — Taeson Schultz 9 (3), Caden Nelson 6 (1), Nathan Preator 5 (2), Eli Dallman 3 (1), Landon Hyde 2, Brady Harvey 1 (1), Abel Teten 1 (1), Kason Sherman 1

Assists — Taeson Schultz 5, Caden Nelson 4, Landon Hyde 3, Nathan Preator 2, Kason Sherman 1

Steals — Caden Nelson 2, Kason Sherman 2, Nathan Preator 1, Landon Hyde 1, Abel Teten 1

Blocks — Nathan Preator 1

POWELL 52, CODY 36

Points — Nathan Preator 22, Taeson Schultz 10, Caden Nelson 8, Landon Hyde 7, Brady Harvey 3, Abel Teten 2, Kason Sherman 2

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

Assists — Nathan Preator 5, Caden Nelson 1, Taeson Schultz 1, Brady Harvey 1, Abel Teten 1

Steals — Nathan Preator 4, Abel Teten 3, Caden Nelson 1, Taeson Schultz 1, Landon Hyde 1, Kason Sherman 1

Blocks — Nathan Preator 1

3A WEST REGIONAL BRACKET

(Game 10 at Lovell Middle School, all other games at Lovell High School)

THURSDAY

Game 1 — Noon: No. 3 Pinedale vs. No. 6 Mountain View

Game 2 — 1:30 p.m. No. 2 Cody vs. No. 7 Powell

Game 3 — 6 p.m. No. 1 Lovell vs. No. 8 Lyman

Game 4 — 7:30 p.m. No. 4 Lander vs. No. 5 Worland

FRIDAY

Game 5 — Noon: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

Game 6 — 1:30 p.m. Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4

Game 7 — 6 p.m. Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

Game 8 — 7:30 p.m. Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

SATURDAY

Game 9 — 11 a.m. Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8

Game 10 — 11 a.m. Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7

Game 11 — 5 p.m. Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 (Third place game)

Game 12 — 2 p.m. Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (Championship game)