The boys and girls basketball teams each played three games through Dec. 7 and 9. Both teams fought their way to recent success in their respective regular seasons.

The boy’s team would finish 3-0 in their first trifecta of games. The Panthers would go on to beat Lander by 27 points with a final score of 61-34. The other two games would result in victories over Jackson Hole, 63-58, and Pinedale, 55-49.

“The Pinedale game was our most challenging from this weekend,” junior boy’s basketball player Alex Jordan said. “We weren’t moving the ball, and we were having errors we shouldn’t have led to them scoring.”

Not every game comes easy, but the team knows that. They will continue to touch up on their mistakes, so their season continues to trend down the right path.

The Panthers opened their season undefeated. With their neighboring town Cody coming to town on Dec. 15, the boys’ team feels they have played flawlessly and are ready for the challenge the Broncs will bring.

“The team is looking great,” Jordan said. “We’ve got the talent and the team chemistry we need in order to reach our goal this year.”

The goal is to bring home a state title that would come with a banner to be hung in the gym at Powell High School. 

“We all have that one goal in our minds,” Jordan said. “To hang a banner in our gym would be really special.”

The grind never stops for the team as they will proceed to practice for upcoming challenges. The confidence level is sky-high, but not every team is perfect.

“We feel good about where we are for this first part of the season,” boy’s basketball head coach Mr. Mike Heny said. “We just hope to keep working towards playing up to our potential to give us the best shot at making it to state.”

The Lady Panthers started their season 2-1. After losing their first game to Lander Valley 45-42, they would bounce back winning their next two games. One of those wins included a 55-7 blowout against Jackson Hole on Dec. 8. The second superiority was awarded to them after overcoming Pinedale 35-28.

“I think our team is good because we all contribute,” senior girl’s basketball player Lauryn Bennett said. “We don’t have just one star player. We all play a part in every game.”

The girls trailed 11-4 against Lander after the first quarter. However, they continued to fight back and cut the lead to 20-18 heading into halftime. Despite their efforts, they came up just short of completing the comeback.

“The game that was the most challenging was Lander,” Bennett said. “We all were very nervous, and we let the nerves take over. We didn’t perform our best.”

The Lady Panthers will also welcome their neighboring rival, the Cody Broncs on Dec. 15. On the other hand, the team’s morale is stratospheric.

“I think we have a very strong team,” Bennett said. “I have confidence we will have a good record this year, and we will do well at regionals and state.”