Pirates tired after two OTs

POLSON — After playing two overtimes in one game, the Polson boys’ basketball team was unable to recover fast enough for its game against Stevensville, resulting in two losses last week.

Against Hamilton, the Pirates held a 13-point lead at the half before Hamilton had a 51-point second half to tie the game. Head coach Brad Pluff said defensive meltdowns led to the blown lead.

Both teams scored five in the first overtime, but Hamilton was able to end the game after a lay-up just before the buzzer for a 90-88 win.

“We had chances to win,” Pluff said. “We didn’t hit our shots.”

Polson hit 13 three-point shots as junior Kyle Bagnell led with 39 points and sophomore Vince DiGiallonardo added 22.

Bagnell and DiGiallonardo are tied for the lead in the conference for three-point shots made per game. As a team, the Pirates lead with the most three-point shots per game. 

The long ball game caught up with the Pirates as they played Stevensville  on Saturday.

“It was tough for them to come back,” Pluff said. “It wasn’t so much mentally as they didn’t have any legs.”

To add to the uphill climb, sophomore Cody Fischer, in for the absent senior Tim Rausch, sprained his ankle early in the game and sophomore Tyler Krell entered foul trouble.

Rausch is second in the conference for average points per game behind teammate Bagnell. Bagnell leads in steals per game and senior Derrick Rathe is second for rebounds per game.

Polson came out with a seven-point first quarter and a 13-point deficit at the half. DiGiallonardo led with 11 points and Bagnell had 10 in the 63-39 loss.

Pluff subbed in younger players that stepped in during the game.

“They performed as well as I had expected them to,” Pluff said.

Freshman Will Davey entered both games and came away with five points and sophomore Ian Laimbeer had two points against Hamilton.

The Pirates have time to recover before taking on Columbia Falls, the conference leader, tomorrow night. Polson is tied for second in the conference with Libby. 

“It will be a good measuring stick,” Pluff said of the contest against the No. 2 ranked team in the state.

The Pirates will see Columbia Falls twice in two weeks, on Feb. 5 and Feb. 18.