TERRY COLUMN: Pirates plan to pillage Class A crown

Polson is close.

The Pirates boys basketball team, the Northwest A champion and second seed out of the Western A, has the state’s second-best record entering today’s Class A state tournament.

They were seconds away from beating the state’s top team, Dillon, twice this season: most recently, last weekend in the Western A tournament, losing in overtime; and again at the beginning of the season by two points at the Tip-Off Tournament in Missoula, the site of today’s games.

They’re even the second-closest team to home, playing an hour away from their friendly confines on the South end of Flathead Lake. Only Hamilton is slightly closer down the Bitterroot Highway.

Close is good. But, in a winner-take-all format this weekend, close doesn’t cut it.

Nobody knows that like Polson coach Randy Kelley.

“We needed to make some changes to what we were doing defensively,” Kelley said.

“I thought Dillon took advantage of us a little bit. We worked on that. We’ve got to step up our defense if we’re going to have a chance of making it anywhere on Saturday.”

Saturday is the championship round.

Polson, as much as any of the eight teams in the tournament, is in great position to get there.

The Pirates (16-5) are the top scoring team in the state at nearly 65.5 points per game and play at a pace that will match nearly every team on the bracket. They have a generous mix of size and shooting and can rely on a multitude of scoring options.

“We have so many kids that score,” Kelley said. “Of course, we have Matthew Rensvold inside. Julian Jones showed up big for us, especially in that (Western A) championship game. But, he’s capable of doing that for us every single night.

“(Point guard Tanner Wilson) is healed up about as much as he can be. He can shoot the ball with his left hand. He’s a good shooter, plus he can get to the hole and dish it pretty well.

“I like the fact I think we’re going to push the pace a little bit. Our kids like to get up and down. We’re just gonna kind of get after it. Bring some pressure and get after it.”

Polson opens with Billings Central (13-9), a perennial power in nearly every sport in the East, which is led by size up front in senior Jacob Hadley, a 6-foot-6 forward who has signed to play wide receiver at Montana State next season. The Rams, always a tough opponent, ended Polson’s season last year in another close loss for the Pirates.

“They’ve got a pretty good lineup as far as size,” Kelley said. “The Hadley kid, he’s an inside threat and a very good outside shooter. Size wise, he’s a big kid. But, he’s not the only kid they have. They’ve got some shooters. We’ve got our hands full tomorrow.”

Should they get through to the semifinals, Polson is seeded on the same side of the bracket as Havre, the East’s top team. On the other side of the bracket is not only Dillon, but defending champion Laurel and another gunning team in Hardin.

“It’s that time of year that I think any team has a chance,” Kelley said. “They’ve just got to bring their best game. That includes playing some pretty good defense.”

The ideal matchup, however, would be Dillon. The Beavers have escaped with three wins against Polson in the last 12 months, twice by a single possession and once more in overtime.

If Polson is going to stop being close, and win the championship, a win against Dillon would make it sweeter.

“After the (Western A championship) game you could see it in the kids eyes,” Kelley said.

“Not only do I want another shot at (Dillon), they want another shot at them. That stems from the confidence that they have, that they can play with them.

“We’re in a good position. But we’ve got to go out and play hard (Thursday) against Billings Central.”

The Pirates will tip today at 1:30 p.m. at Dahlberg Arena on the campus of the University of Montana.