A blown fourth quarter lead in an overtime loss prevented the Powell High School boys’ basketball team from going 2-0 over the weekend, losing to Mountain View 53-49 on Friday before rebounding with a 73-58 win over Lyman on Saturday.

MOUNTAIN VIEW 53, POWELL 49 (OT)

Starting on Friday the Panthers (13-4 overall, 2-3 3A West) took on the Buffalos (7-8 overall, 2-3 3A West).

Powell started slow against a feisty Mountain View defense, as the Panthers trailed 8-0 early.

The Panthers fought back and trailed 8-7 midway through after a Taeson Schultz layup, and eventually tied it on a Schultz 3-pointer with 1:30 left in the quarter.

Powell took the lead briefly on a Caden Nelson layup, but a buzzer beater by the Buffalos made it a 13-12 advantage for the visitors heading into the second quarter.

Mountain View continued to fluster the Panthers, as the press and zone of the visitors gave them a 17-15 advantage midway through the second quarter.

“Mountain View’s zone caused us to be a little stagnant on offense in the first half. We didn’t do a very good job of playing from underneath the zone and attacking the gaps,” coach Mike Heny said. “We also didn’t shoot the ball very well so the combination of all of those things led to a pretty low scoring half for us.”

Powell tied it late 19-19, but a basket by Mountain View made it 21-19 heading into the locker room.

Landon Hyde got the Panthers on track out of the break, scoring seven straight and giving Powell the lead to force a Buffalos timeout.

A Nathan Preator and-one gave Powell a double-digit advantage up 32-21 midway through the quarter, and the Panthers continued to press until it was a 39-25 game going into the fourth.

“We came out from the break and started executing at a much higher level. Landon got us off to a great start by getting seven quick points and it kind of just took off from there,” Heny said.

Powell maintained that lead until five minutes remaining, before things turned sideways in a hurry.

Nelson fouled out, followed by Preator with 2:22 remaining as the visitors cut the lead to 43-38.

A steal and a 3-pointer eventually cut the lead down to 45-42, as turnovers and missed free throws reared their ugly head for the Panthers in the fourth.

Powell led 47-42, but a bucket and then a turnover gave Mountain View an opportunity to tie.

The Buffalos hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds left, and the final shot for the Panthers was off the mark as the teams went to overtime tied at 47.

Mountain View started on a 4-0 run, as Powell continued  struggling at the line as the Panthers finished 5-15 for the game.

The Buffalos saw out the win with a 1-2 performance at the line in their final opportunities as they escaped with a 53-49 victory.

“Having Nathan and Caden both in foul trouble and then eventually fouling out created a lot of different problems for us both offensively and defensively,” Heny said. “Turnovers and missed free throws finally caught up to us down the stretch and a couple of bad defensive lapses were the difference in closing them out versus letting them tie it up and win it in overtime.”

Schultz led with 15 points and seven rebounds, Preator had 13 points, five assists, four steals and three blocks. Hyde added 13 points as Nelson also matched Preator with four steals.

POWELL 73, LYMAN 58

Heading into Saturday the Panthers needed a win against the Eagles (9-6 overall, 2-3 3A West) to keep up in a crowded 3A West field.

Powell started out strong from 3-point range, building an 11-2 advantage with 2:29 left and forcing a Lyman timeout.

That lead only continued to grow, as the Panthers led 18-4 heading into the second quarter.

“The kids have done a great job of bouncing back after a loss all season. I was really proud of the focus they had early in the game and all the way through the first two quarters,” Heny said.

The Panthers pushed the lead further in the second quarter, as an Abel Teten layup made it 25-6 early.

His 3-pointer then made it a 20 point game at 30-10 late, as the Panthers led 32-14 at the break after a layup at the buzzer by the Eagles. Preator finished with 12 first half points for Powell.

Schultz caught fire in the third quarter, using his 3-point shooting to keep the Panthers ahead at 46-29 midway through despite increased Eagles' pressure.

Lyman made a run, but Schultz closed the door as Powell led 54-36 after the third quarter.

Powell continued to push ahead, leading 62-43 midway through the fourth before a late push by Lyman closed the final scoreline to 73-58.

Preator and Schultz tied for the team lead with 25 points each, as Schultz went 7-11 from the 3-point line in the contest.

“When we shoot the ball at a high level we are a really tough team to stop,” Heny said. “It forces teams to come out away from the basket even more, which also opens up driving lanes when they close out on our shooters. The kids also feed off of that energy which carries over to the defensive end and allows us to get some steals and easy transition buckets as well.”

Schultz and Hyde tied for the team lead with six rebounds each, Preator and Schultz had six assists each while Preator, Nelson and Schultz had three steals each.

WORLAND GAME

Powell stays at home this weekend for a single game, welcoming in Worland (7-10 overall, 2-3 3A West) at 7 p.m. on Friday.

“We need to continue to focus on ball security and defensive communication,” Heny said. “Both of those areas will need to continue to improve as we head down the final stretch of the conference season.”

MOUNTAIN VIEW 53, POWELL 49 (OT)

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Taeson Schultz 15, Nathan Preator 13, Landon Hyde 13, Caden Nelson 4, Brady Harvey 2, Kason Sherman 2

Rebounds — Taeson Schultz 7 (1), Nathan Preator 6 (3), Caden Nelson 6 (3), Brady Harvey 5 (1), Landon Hyde 4 (2), Abel Teten 1, Kason Sherman 1, Eli Dallman 1 (1)

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

Steals — Nathan Preator 4, Caden Nelson 4, Taeson Schultz 3

Blocks — Nathan Preator 3, Brady Harvey 2

POWELL 73, LYMAN 58

Points — Nathan Preator 25, Taeson Schultz 25, Landon Hyde 14, Abel Teten 5, Caden Nelson 4

Rebounds — Taeson Schultz 6, Landon Hyde 6 (1), Nathan Preator 4 (1), Caden Nelson 4 (2), Brady Harvey 3, Abel Teten 1, Cody Fisher 1 (1), Eli Dallman 1 (1)

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

Steals — Nathan Preator 3, Caden Nelson 3, Taeson Schultz 3, Landon Hyde 1, Brady Harvey 1