Just two games into the 2020-21 campaign, the Powell High School girls’ basketball has made one thing clear: The past is the past.

The Panthers split their opening weekend, defeating Riverton in Thursday’s opener before falling to Buffalo the next day. At 1-1, Powell is already a third of the way to its 2019-20 win total, when the Panthers finished 3-18.

Last year, PHS played six games before winning, so PHS head coach Chelsea Buher thinks starting the season with a victory will be significant for the squad’s morale.

“I hope this gets the girls in the mindset that they can have a good season despite last season,” Buher said. “Just changing that mentality, and it will build a lot of confidence.”

The opener in Riverton was back and forth all game long, with the Wolverines and Panthers trading basket for basket. PHS ultimately pushed ahead in the final minute, with senior Rose Graft hitting two late free throws to seal a 44-41 win.

“It was a close game the whole time, but we continued to fight and made big shots in the stretch,” Buher said.

Rylynn Valdez led the Panthers with 12 points in the win, converting four of her five 3-point attempts. Senior Madi Fields was also a key contributor, scoring eight of her 10 points in the fourth quarter.

The next game, however, the Panthers struggled to find a rhythm.

PHS committed 36 turnovers, leading to a 59-38 Buffalo win. In Powell’s win over Riverton, the team turned the ball over just 15 times, and Buher said improving ball control will be a primary objective going forward.

“That’s a huge focus,” she said. “Just no matter how the game is going, continuing to play as hard as we can — control what we can control.”

Despite the loss, the Panthers saw efficient games from several players. Graft led the team in scoring with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Fields and Hailee Hyde also showed promise, combining for 17 points and “being consistent on both ends of the floor,” the coach said.

At 1-1, the Panthers have shown they’re more than capable of competing and may have turned a leaf from last year’s struggles. If the Panthers can continue developing their team chemistry, they can keep making notable strides, Buher said.

“That’s our team goal: put the team first,” Buher said. “They get along on and off the court, and these girls genuinely like each other. It’s always something you can work on, and it will help us improve.”

The girls return to action on Thursday, when PHS hosts Cody in the Panther Gym at 5:30 p.m.