Northwestern A tourney: Polson sweeps play-ins

The Polson Lady Pirates hit eight fourth-quarter free-throws to extend a three-point lead into a 48-34 victory over the Whitefish Bulldogs in the first round of the Northwestern A divisional girls basketball tournament at Glacier High School in Kalispell on Thursday night.

Whitefish (1-18) trailed by 13 late in the third quarter, but freshman Haley Nicholson hit a pair of free throws before sophomore Katie Fyall intercepted an errant Polson pass and dished it to fellow sophomore Allie Schulz who was fouled at the buzzer.

Schulz hit both free throws to cut the deficit to nine and swing the momentum of the game that was in the hands of the Lady Pirates throughout the contest. 

The Bulldogs opened up the final period of play on a 7-1 run, including a huge three-pointer from Schulz that cut the deficit to three before Polson made their final push.

“I thought we played great,” Whitefish coach Clint Peters said. “Our defense was there; our effort was there and the team ball was awesome. I can’t be more proud of the effort the girls brought to the court tonight.”

Polson (4-15) was lead by freshman guard Lauren Lefthand who hit three shots from behind the arc for a game-high 13-point effort.

“She’s young and doesn’t have a lot of experience, but she’s going to be a great point-guard for us,” Polson coach Jay Krantz said. “She’s not afraid to shoot the ball and that confidence exudes itself on the other girls a little bit. I’m proud of the way she handled herself out there.”

After a close 11-9 first quarter, the the second period opened with back-to-back treys from Whitefish senior Simone Craft and Polson’s Lefthand.

The Lady Pirates would use Lefthand’s shot to spark a 14-1 run, claiming a 27-17 halftime lead.

“I told the girls, ‘It’s tournament time; everything you do will really help us,’ Peyton (Anderson) does a great job on the boards. If she gets a rebound and kicks it out to someone who scores, that’s just as good as shooting the ball,” Krantz said.

For the Bulldogs, Schulz finished with nine points and Craft, the lone Whitefish senior, finished with a game-high 13-points, including two shots from behind the arc.

“She claws and fights. She is, 100 percent, our team leader,” Peters said. “I’m really proud of her effort and her attitude.”

Each team attempted 26 free-throws; while Polson made 17 of them Whitefish converted 11 According to Peters that was the difference.

“They were making their free throws,” he said. “We were missing our and it’s a little deflating when you’re trading free  throws and you’re not putting points on the board. Outside of that, it was such a back-and-forth game.”

With the win, Polson will take on the top seeded Columbia Falls today at 3 p.m. while Whitefish will await the loser of the Frenchtown-Libby match up and play on Saturday at 9 a.m. 

Polson1116714—48

Whitefish9889—34

POLSON — Skyla Krantz 4 2-4 10, Jaylin Kenney 1 2-2 4, Jessica Bagnell 3 4-6 10, Nichole Lake 2 3-4 7, Kaelen Wall 0 4-6 4, Lauren Lefthand 4 2-4 13. Totals 14 17-26 48.

WHITEFISH — Allie Schulz 2 4-4 9, Katie Fyall 0 2-8 2, Haley Nicholson 2 1-6 5, Mariah Drown 1 0-0 2, Simone Craft 4 3-6 13, Anna Peterson 0 1-2 1, Makenna Bendbrook 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 11-26 34.

3-point goals — Polson 3 (Lefthand 3), Whitefish 3 (Craft 2, Schulz); Fouls — Polson 15, Whitefish 15.

BOYS

Polson 55, Libby 38

The Polson Pirates used a 12-2 first quarter run and a 21-point effort from senior Andrew Weltz to cruise past Libby en route to a 55-38 victory in the opening round of the Northwestern A divisional boys basketball tournament at Glacier High School on Thursday night. 

Weltz was joined in double figures by teammate Cedrick Smith who added 16 points for the Pirates (5-14)

The Loggers (1-18) were lead by Jared Winslow’s 17 points, including three second-half three-pointers, but it was too little too late as the Pirates advanced to the semifinals.

Polson will play top seeded Columbia Falls (14-4) today at 6 p.m. while Libby awaits the loser of the Frenchtown-Whitefish contest set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.

Polson1218169—55

Libby211178—38

POLSON — Cedrick Smith 7 2-2 16, Chris McDonald 2 0-0 4, Andrew Weltz 7 7-9 21, Andrew Curley 2 0-0 6, Tanner Wilson 2 1-1 5, Matthew Rensvold 1 0-0 2, Wyatt Ducharme 0 1-2 1. Totals 21 11-14 55.

LIBBY — Johny Cielak 2 0-0 4, Collin Johnson 2 0-0 5, Isack Jones 0 1-2 1, Jared Winslow 6 1-1 17, Michael Curtiss 1 2-2 4, Quinn Sullivan 3 0-3 6, Brandon Sadewasser 0 1-4 1. Totals 14 5-12 38.

3-point goals — Polson 2 (Curley 2), Libby 5 (Winslow 4, Johnson); Total fouls — Polson 13, Libby 17.