POLSON BOYS BASKETBALL: VERTICAL GAME

Move over Mission Mountains, there's going to be another

mountain range in town because the 2011-12 Polson Boys Basketball

team should be stocked with plenty of height. While the Pirates

graduated seniors Louis Mohr, Kyle Bagnell and Sheldon Fisher - who

if digitized into NBA Jam, would have been a three-man powerhouse -

even if they'll be a bit green in the experience department, Polson

head coach Brad Pluff knows he has a super-talented group of

players.

Move over Mission Mountains, there's going to be another mountain range in town because the 2011-12 Polson Boys Basketball team should be stocked with plenty of height. While the Pirates graduated seniors Louis Mohr, Kyle Bagnell and Sheldon Fisher - who if digitized into NBA Jam, would have been a three-man powerhouse - even if they'll be a bit green in the experience department, Polson head coach Brad Pluff knows he has a super-talented group of players.

"Our makeup is going to be a bit different from past years but our philosophy has not changed," Pluff said. "We're still going to try and dictate the tempo in games and push the ball."

While Northwestern A Conference foe Columbia Falls is coming off a state championship, has received national hype with stars Austin Barth and Parker Johnson coming back and should be the favorites this year for the league title, Polson has the weapons to make this a Lakers-Celtics-esque battle this season. The Pirates have shown consistency in basketball, making the state tournament for the past two seasons and finishing second in 2009-10.

All-conference senior post Tyler Krell has the skills and the size at 6'6" to stand up against "Barth Vader," and will be one of the major focal points of the Pirates this season.

"They're going to be two of the premier players in the state," Pluff said of Barth and Krell.

Getting more playing time will be senior post Cody Fischer, who at 6'5" will also bolster Polson's frontcourt.

"He's going to step in and help a lot," Pluff said. "He's a big kid and he's got a nice outside shot. If you try and guard him outside with a small guy he'll take it by him."

Senior forward Ian Laimbeer and junior post Riley Sampson will both come in at 6'3" and should make Polson one of the tallest teams around. Quinn Harlan, at 6'3" could also see varsity time as he develops throughout the season.

"We're going to be tall and you can't coach tall," Pluff said. "We tell the big guys that they're going to run because the other big guys aren't going to be able to keep up."

In the backcourt will be senior Vince DiGiallonardo, known for dominating opponents out on the football field, and he'll take over the starting point guard duties for the Pirates.

"He's going to run the offense and he's going to play as many minutes he can play," Pluff said. "He'll be our quarterback out on the floor."

The athletic Will Davey and the dangerous Zac Camel will also be important at guard this year and coupled with the rest of the squad, should provide plenty of excitement for the home crowd.

"We have had some fun teams to watch and last year Louis and Kyle kind of ran the show," Pluff said. "We're going to keep playing that same style of basketball. The kids like playing it that way."

Along with their conference schedule, which includes newcomer Frenchtown, Polson will match up against the second-place team from last season at the tip off tournament in Dillon. They'll also play a tough Stevensville team and Corvallis, who has guard Riley Bradshaw. Some consider Bradshaw the best player in the state.

A matchup against AA Flathead High School, Polson will keep their Mission Valley rivalry against Ronan alive, as the two teams will match up on Jan. 24. After two straight years of state tournament basketball, the Pirates definitely want to continue the streak. While that will take confidence building since not as many players have varsity experience as last year, they certainly have the tools.

"You have to have that mindset and that swagger," Pluff said.

PIRATES BBALL

The Skinny - Polson lost some great seniors from last year, but have some tall kids on the roster this year.

Keys to success - With all-state QB Vince DiGiallonardo playing point guard and senior Tyler Krell anchoring the center, Polson should be more than capable of doing some serious damage.

The team to beat - It's looking like the nationally recognized Columbia Falls Wildcats will definitely be circled on the Pirates' schedule, and Polson might have the best chance out of the NWA teams in taking them down.