Pirates, Chiefs leave it all on the floor in close battle
<p class="p1">Dallas Jore attacks the basket with a pair of Pirates defenders draped all over him during Friday’s rivalry game in Polson.</p>
<p class="p1">Cedrick Smith goes over the top of Ronan’s Kollin Wroblewski (32) and Carston Baertsch (4).</p>
<p class="p1">Alex Quequesah shoots over Polson’s Dylan Kelley Friday.</p>
POLSON — Friday’s matchup between the Pirates and the Chiefs was decided the way every rivalry game should be, by a one-point margin.
POLSON — Friday’s matchup between the Pirates and the Chiefs was decided the way every rivalry game should be, by a one-point margin.
The game would turn out to be a low-scoring defensive battle with Ronan (3-3) escaping with the 29-28 victory.
It was the Chiefs’ first win against Polson (2-3) since February of 2009.
Ronan was in control early after leading the Pirates 11-4 in the first quarter of play.
However, Polson would narrow the gap to 18-13 before the half after outscoring Ronan 9-7 in the second quarter.
The Pirates continued to battle their way back, taking over the lead 19-18 for a brief moment in the third quarter.
The Chiefs would seize control again and entered the final frame with a 24-19 lead.
Polson was down just 27-25 with 20 seconds left in the game when Cedrick Smith was fouled and made his way to the free throw line.
After missing the first shot, it appeared as though Smith attempted to purposefully miss his second shot for a chance that one of his teammates would be able to rebound the ball and put it back up for a shot.
However, it was Ronan’s Zach Wagner who would come down with it and would then be fouled. He sank both free throws to extend the lead to 29-25.
The Pirates quickly moved down the court, where Derek Peel would be found open for a 3-point shot before sinking it for what would prove to be the final points of the game.
The victorious Chiefs were led by Tim Woll with nine points on the night, nailing both of his 3-point attempts along the way. He also finished with a team-high seven rebounds.
Carston Baertsch chipped in seven of his own and topped the team with three steals.
Wagner added five and had six rebounds, while Alex Quequesah (five), Dallas Jore (two), and Kollin Wroblewski (one) also put up points in the winning effort.
Smith led Polson with six points on the night, while Chris McDonald and Riley Sampson finished behind him with four apiece.
Sampson also finished the night with a game-high 10 rebounds and two blocks.
Peel, Cedric Earthboy, Dylan Kelley, and Austin Corrigan each scored three points for the Pirates, while Hayden Congdon chipped in two points as well.
Ronan will pick things back up after the holiday break with a road game against Deer Lodge on Jan. 3.
POLSON VS. FRENCHTOWN
POLSON — Prior to their matchup up with Ronan, the Pirates battled Frenchtown last Thursday, suffering a heartbreaking 50-48 defeat at home.
Polson overcame a 25-17 first half deficit by outscoring the Broncs 31-25 in the second half, but came up short on a would-be game-tying shot as time expired.
Smith and Sampson both posted double-digit point totals on the night with Smith leading the team with 13 and Sampson turning in 10.
Congdon wasn’t far off the milestone with eight points.
Earthboy, Kelley, and Will Davey each pitched in four points, while Peel and McDonald scored three and two points respectively.
John Chapman topped the Broncs with 21 points and was the only Frenchtown player to finish in double-figures.
The Pirates return to the court on Jan. 5 when they’ll host Loyola Sacred Heart in a nonconference matchup.