Pirates earn huge road win against Eureka Lions
<p>Polson's Dylan Kelley ball fakes two defenders through the lane on his way to the rim. Kelley had eight points in the Pirates' loss to Columbia Falls.</p>
EUREKA — The Pirates ended their string of slow starts Friday and outscored the Eureka Lions 36-22 in the first half en rout to a 64-51 road win.
Polson was led by Riley Sampson’s 15 points and 13 rebounds and Cedric Smith’s 14 points and 4 assists. In the win, the Pirates finally executed on elements of their game they’ve been struggling with all season. They took reasonably good care of the ball, committing only 12 turnovers. Meanwhile, they demonstrated tremendous ball sharing abilities and dished out 18 assists. In the Pirates previous two losses to Stevensville and Frenchtown, they committed a combined 36 turnovers to just 11 assists.
Polson also got to the line and shot a favorable 70 percent on 12 of 17 shooting. Both turnovers and free throw percentage has plagued the Pirates of late and it’s no wonder, when they execute on those specific things, it’s reflected in the win column. The Pirates also controlled the glass in Friday’s win, outrebounding the Lions 35 to 18, including 15 offensive rebounds – 7 of which was brought down by Sampson.
The much-deserved win was short lived however, when Polson hosted district leading – tied with Whitefish - Columbia Falls. The Wildcats suffocating defense didn’t allow the Pirates to breath offensively. Shooting just 13-36 from the field, Polson couldn’t break free from the Cats, as they fell 57-36. Again Polson suffered from poor foul shooting (7 for 14) and bad decision-making (16 turnovers, 7 assists). While the Wildcats couldn’t have been more efficient on offence, going 21 for 41 from the field (58 percent) and 13 for 18 at the line (72 percent).
The Pirates 0-5, 4-10 will host Corvallis Friday night and Libby Saturday night for a pair of home games at Linderman gym.