Polson GB: THE BLOCKADE IS READY

POLSON - If the Lady Pirates' final game of the season is any

indication, other teams in the Northwestern A should be very

worried heading into the divisional tournament this weekend in

Columbia Falls.

Why? Because Frenchtown and Polson are the No. 3 and No. 4

ranked teams in the entire state for Class A and they look every

bit the part.

POLSON - If the Lady Pirates' final game of the season is any indication, other teams in the Northwestern A should be very worried heading into the divisional tournament this weekend in Columbia Falls.

Why? Because Frenchtown and Polson are the No. 3 and No. 4 ranked teams in the entire state for Class A and they look every bit the part.

Polson looked strong against Whitefish last Saturday, securing a 69-35 victory over their Northwestern A opponent.

The Lady Pirates went on an 11-5 run to begin the game and led 17-10 after the first quarter. They really exploded offensively in the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 24-11 thanks to a 16-4 run in the beginning of the period.

Polson would go on another big run, a 13-0 surge in the third quarter and the Lady Pirates had a 59-26 lead heading into the fourth quarter before they cruised to victory.

Polson used a balanced attack against Whitefish and four different players scored in double-digits. While Anna DiGiallonardo was a bucket away with eight points. Riley Kenney led the Lady Pirates with 24 points, while Mariah Hamel scored 11. Heidi Rausch and Macall Banner both notched 10.

In its two games against the Lady Bulldogs this season, Polson has outscored them 138-53.

Kenney has scored 353 points this season and if Polson makes a strong run at the divisional tournament, she could break the 400-point barrier. She's averaging 19.6 points per game to lead the conference meaning she'll be a vital weapon for Polson going up against the rest of the Northwestern A.

Kenney and the Lady Pirates will want to avenge a loss to Frenchtown last Tuesday before the Whitefish game. They were downed by the highly-touted Lady Broncs 61-36 after a slow first half hamstrung Polson.

Frenchtown held Polson to single digit first-half points and led 39-9 at halftime. While the Lady Pirates went on an 18-10 run in the third quarter, the Lady Broncs held on for victory.

Polson got 14 points from Riley Kenney and seven more from Mariah Hamel in the contest.

It didn't do much to damper the accomplishments of Polson this season. After their Saturday win against Whitefish, the Lady Pirates ended the regular season with a 15-3 record overall and a 6-2 league mark. It's Polson's best season in at least five years. Both their losses in the Northwestern A have come at the hands of Frenchtown.

Now Polson will turn its attention to Columbia Falls for a first-round matchup in the NWA Divisional Tournament. It will certainly be tough to play the Wildkats on their home floor in the postseason, but the Lady Pirates have defeated C-Falls two times in the regular season. In Janurary, Polson notched a 59-57 road victory over the Wildkats in overtime and then defeated C-Falls at home by nine points, 48-39, earlier this month.

Tip-off for the game is on Friday at 4 p.m. If they win that game they'll play for the divisional championship and an automatic berth in the state tournament on Saturday at 6 p.m.

W-FISH @ POLSON

Whitefish - 10 - 11 - 5 - 9 - 35

Polson - 17 - 24 - 18 - 10 - 69

Lady Pirates scoring - Riley Kenney 24, Mariah Hamel 11, Heidi Rausch 10, Macall Banner 10, Anna DiGiallanardo 8, Mackenzie Banner 6

F-TOWN @ POLSON

F-town - 16 - 23 - 10 - 12 - 61

Polson - 4 - 5 - 18 - 9 - 36

Lady Pirates scoring - Mackenzie Banner 3, Macall Banner 1, Mariah Hamel 7, Anna DiGiallonardo 4, Riley Kenney 14, Jordan Quinn 2, Heidi Rausch 5