A pair of home quadrant games resulted in different results, as the Powell Panther girls’ basketball team lost a difficult contest 50-37 to Cody on Thursday before pulling away in the second half against Worland on Friday for a 46-27 victory.

CODY 50, POWELL 37

Returning home to open conference play the Panthers (9-4 overall, 1-1 3A West) welcomed in the rival Fillies (10-3 overall, 3-0 3A West) on Thursday night.

Early on scoring came at a premium, with the Panthers holding a slight 3-2 lead 2:45 into the game.

Turnovers plagued the Panthers, as the Fillies took advantage and regained the lead.

“There were moments where we let them get us back on our heels, and we tried moving the ball fast but it was just the wrong reads at the wrong time I think,” coach Chelsea Kistler said.

A 3-pointer just before the end of the quarter made it a two possession game as the Fillies led 12-7.

Cody started the second quarter with a quick outburst to expand the lead to double digits in the first 40 seconds.

The score remained 19-9 three minutes in, before the Panthers found a better groove offensively down the stretch, but another 3-pointer just before the break made it a 28-16 contest heading into the locker room.

More turnovers plagued the Panthers in the third quarter, as Cody expanded its lead to 34-18 before a Powell timeout.

Shortly after the timeout, the Fillies made it a 20 point game after another 3-pointer, and they held a 44-24 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Powell trailed 49-30 with 5:40 remaining and cut the lead to 15 with 2:45 remaining, making it a 50-37 scoreline by games’ end.

“I think that we didn’t play our game that game. I think we allowed our emotions to get the best of us,” Kistler said. “I think we’re better than we showed. We did some good things, but there’s room for improvement and we’ll look to do that for the future.”

Saige Kidd paced the Panthers with 13 points as the only player in double figures, Ivy Agee led with five assists and Coy Erickson led with three steals.

POWELL 46, WORLAND 27

Heading into Friday the Panthers took on the Warriors (1-10 overall, 0-2 3A West) trying to bounce back in their second conference game.

Scoring again was hard to come by early in the game for Powell, as the Panthers were scoreless the first 2:30 minutes and trailed 4-0.

A Worland timeout gave Powell a chance to regather its composure, and the Panthers finally got on the board with 3:45 left in the first quarter after an Erickson 3-pointer.

Powell found its way into the lead despite the poor shooting and led 6-4 after the first quarter.

“We shot a lot of shots, but we were not converting,” Kistler said. “You’re gonna have those games and figuring out a way to win even when you’re not shooting well is key.”

It didn’t get any better early in the second quarter, as the Panthers still only led 10-6 with 4:40 remaining.

A small run by Powell capped off by another Erickson 3-pointer made it a 17-6 game with 2:35 left.

Worland pushed back late, and the Panthers led 19-10 heading into the half.

Powell found its offense early in the third, and made it a 28-14 game midway through.

The Panther defense kept the Warriors at bay, to take a 33-20 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

“I think our defense was really good and that’s where we got our opportunities shooting 60-plus times that game,” Kistler said. “I thought that they (Worland) did a good job of slowing the game down and making it muddy. We’re not used to running at the pace that they slowed it down to.”

Powell finally pushed the game over 20 points on an Emery Hernandez layup as the Panthers led 43-22.

After a better scoring second half the Panthers earned the 46-27 win to move to 1-1 in conference play.

“We figured out a way to win when things weren’t falling. I don’t know if it was just overflow from the night before or what it was,” Kistler said. “We just didn’t shoot well, but we came up with the win, and an ugly win is better than an ugly loss.”

Erickson led with 12 points, Hernandez had 11 and Ivy Agee had 10.

Hernandez tied for the team lead in rebounds with seven alongside Catelynn Floy, who recorded six offensive rebounds.

Floy led the Panthers with four steals.

KEY GAMES

Powell has a pair of key games this week, splitting between a quadrant game and nonconference.

The Panthers will start at home at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, taking on the Lovell Bulldogs (8-5 overall, 1-1 3A West).

Powell already defeated Lovell on Jan. 18 in the Big Horn Basin Classic championship 50-36 in Worland.

“That’s going to be a big game,” Kistler said. “This is the one that counts, so there’s no overlooking that’s going to happen. We’ll prepare like we normally do.”

Kistler added that their contest against Lovell will be a pink game for the Panthers.

Powell then heads on the road at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, making the trip over the mountain to take on the Buffalo Bison (6-5 overall, 3-1 3A East).

“Buffalo you’ve got to always respect them because of their past. They’ve had a lot of success and they were just in the championship game at state,” Kistler said. “I know they’ve lost some kids, but they still have a couple really good guards and have some size on the inside. They’re gonna play hard, they’re gonna pressure you.”

That will kick-start a long road trip for the Panthers, who will not return home until Feb. 21-22 for their final home games of the season.

CODY 50, POWELL 37

Total rebounds then offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Saige Kidd 13, Catelynn Floy 7, Emery Hernandez 6, Coy Erickson 5, Leah Graham 4, Ivy Agee 2

Rebounds — Emery Hernandez 4 (3), Coy Erickson 4 (1), Saige Kidd 4, Leah Graham 3 (3), Alexa Richardson 1, Ivy Agee 1 (1), Catelynn Floy 1

Assists — Ivy Agee 5, Emery Hernandez 4, Coy Erickson 2, Saige Kidd 1, Leah Graham 1

Steals — Coy Erickson 3, Alexa Richardson 1, Emery Hernandez 1, Saige Kidd 1, Leah Graham 1

Blocks — Coy Erickson 1

POWELL 46, WORLAND 27

Points — Coy Erickson 12, Emery Hernandez 11, Ivy Agee 10, Saige Kidd 7, Catelynn Floy 6

Rebounds — Emery Hernandez 7 (5), Catelynn Floy 7 (6), Saige Kidd 6 (2), Ivy Agee 4 (1), Alexa Richardson 3 (1), Coy Erickson 3 (2), Leah Graham 2, Hali Hancock 1 (1), Ava Teten 1

Assists — Emery Hernandez 3, Coy Erickson 3, Alexa Richardson 2, Ivy Agee 2, Saige Kidd 2, Catelynn Floy 2, Leah Graham 1

Steals — Catelynn Floy 4, Alexa Richardson 3, Coy Erickson 3, Saige Kidd 3, Emery Hernandez 2, Ivy Agee 2, Leah Graham 2

Blocks — Emery Hernandez 1, Hali Hancock 1