Polson holds on to beat Libby in semifinals

Beware the team that has nothing to lose.

The Polson Lady Pirates learned that lesson on Friday as the girls watched a big halftime lead against Libby melt away in the third quarter and turn an easy win into a workmanlike one.

Junior Breanne Kelley scored 13 of her game-high 15 points in the second half while classmate Sierra Pete added eight points and an invaluable defensive effort as Polson held on to defeat Libby 38-32 in the Northwestern A girls divisional basketball semifinals at Glacier High.

Third-seed Polson advanced to today’s championship game against Columbia Falls at 6 p.m. Second-seed Libby drops to loser-out play this morning at 9 a.m.

Polson jumped out to a 14-4 lead after the first quarter and went into intermission up 18-6. Pete had all eight of her points in the first half but her defense proved to be of more worth.

Pete glued herself to Libby standout Jackie Mee and limited the conference’s leading scorer to only two points in the opening half.

“We talked a lot about having a lot of energy this whole week,” Polson head coach Randy Kelley said. “I thought they came out real well. I thought defensively we did some great things. Sierra Pete, I can’t say enough about what she did with Jackie in that first half.”

That wasn’t the last they heard of Mee and the Lady Loggers, however. Libby came out of their offensive slumber in the second half with an 11-3 run that slimmed Polson’s lead to four.

“We were either going to lose bad or we were going to start attacking and try to get something off our defense,” Libby coach Jim May said.

So what did May tell his beleaguered group at halftime?

“‘You just got nothing to lose, just go for it,’” he said. “So they did.”

Mee, a senior who averaged over 19 points per game this season, finished with 10 points.

Libby stayed within four points up until the final two minutes before Polson squashed any hope of a Loggers’ comeback.

“We got unraveled a few times in the second half and that was the difference, a few turnovers here and there and they’re right back in the game,” Kelley said. “I thought the girls held their poise. We hit some big shots and then we attacked the hoop.”

Riley Kenney had six of her eight points in the fourth quarter for Polson.

LaRona Luscher scored nine for Libby and Jaime Gilden had seven before fouling out midway through the fourth.

“We need games like this because it does build character,” Kelley said. “I’m happy for the girls and hopefully we’ll get after C-Falls tomorrow night.”

The mood was understandably somber on the Libby end of things, as the team’s hopes of reaching state have been dimmed.

“We got anxious, we didn’t attack the defense and we’ve been doing such a good job of that the last month, so I don’t know,” May said. “They just got nervous or anxious ... but I’m very happy with the way we came back and made it a ball game in the second half.”

Polson    14    4    9    11    —    38

Libby    4    2    14    12    —    32

POLSON — Kendyall Rochin 1 0-0 2, Mariah Hamel 0 3-4 3, Sierra Pete 4 0-2 8, Breanne Kelley 5 2-4 15, Riley Kenney 2 4-6 8, Nicole Davey 1 0-0 2, Kayla Duford 0 0-0 0, Heidi Rausch 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 9-16 38.

LIBBY — LaRona Luscher 3 0-0 9, Alyshia Martin 1 0-0 2, Jaime Gilden 3 1-2 7, Logan Best 0 1-2 1, Jackie Mee 4 2-5 10, Kim Tangen 1 1-2 3, Sheena Good 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 5-11 32.

3-point goals — Polson 3 (Kelley 3), Libby 3 (Luscher); Team fouls — Polson 12, Libby 14; Fouled out — Gilden.

Columbia Falls 52, Whitefish 26

Kayla DeWit scored a game-high 19 points, Shay Grilley had 16 and the Wildkats used a 16-0 run in the first half to earn a chance at defending their Northwestern A division title.

Top seed Columbia Falls plays Polson tonight at 6. The Wildkats defeated Bigfork in overtime last year to win the division trophy.

Kelsey DeWit scored 10 points and Columbia Falls outscored Whitefish 22-9 in the opening half.

Jessica Slaybaugh paced the Lady Bulldogs with nine points and Mariah Kanistanaux added six.

Columbia Falls    10    12    19    11    —    52

Whitefish    9    0    3    14    —    26

COLUMBIA FALLS — Kayla Stratton 0 1-2 1, Kayla DeWit 7 5-7 19, Brooke Cady 0 4-4 4, Shay Grilley 5 4-4 16, Jonna Werner 0 2-2 2, Kelsey DeWit 4 2-2 10, Cortney White 0 0-0 0, Allie Lampman 0 0-0 0, Danielle Gilley 0 0-0 0, Cedar Jordt 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 18-21 52.

WHITEFISH — Olivia Nagler 0 1-2 1, Jessica Slaybaugh 3 0-0 9, Mariah Kanistanaux 3 0-0 6, Alayna Voigt 1 0-0 3, Danielle McCully 2 0-0 4, Shannon Craft 1 0-0 3, Olivia Curtiss 0 0-0 0, Jessica Poe 0 0-0 0, Taylor Havens 0 0-0 0, Jenna Hanson 0 0-0 0, Karissa DeMarco 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 1-2 26.

3-point goals — Columbia Falls 2 (Grilley 2), Whitefish 5 (Slaybaugh 3, Voigt, Craft); Team fouls — Columbia Falls 9, Whitefish 17; Fouled out — None