Pirates prepare for state tourney

It’s just one of those years, it seems, in Montana Class A basketball.

Polson’s boys basketball (7-15) team is one of three teams to qualify for this weekend’s tournament in Great Falls with a losing record. (Havre and Miles City also have seven wins apiece.)

For the Pirates, who entered the Northwest A divisional tournament as the No. 4 seed, it’s been all about a young team maturing at the right time.

“There have been so many games where there's been a stretch of 4 or 5 minutes where we just didn't shoot well or missed defensive assignments,” Polson coach Brad Pluff said. “We knew if we could eliminate that, we'd have a chance to beat some of these teams.”

It wasn’t exactly predictable, though.

“We had no idea that was going to come,” senior Andrew Weltz admitted regarding the Pirates recent snap to success. “We all knew that we had the potential to play like that, but we didn't think we'd all come together at the same time like that.”

But they did. Polson hit its stride in the final two games of divisionals, shooting a combined 17-24 from 3-point territory in wins over Frenchtown and Whitefish.

“We've shot like that in practice all year,” Weltz, the Pirates’ leading scorer, said. “We just hadn't been able to put a game together like that.”

While Weltz and fellow senior Cedrick Smith have shouldered the scoring load for most of the season, the turnaround has been fueled by other Pirates’ contributions.

Juniors Chris McDonald and Andrew Curley shot the lights out at divisionals.

Point guard Tanner Wilson and sixth man Matthew Rensvold, both freshmen, have become critical cogs in the offense.

“A year ago they were playing middle school basketball,” Pluff said. “You can't teach them about the speed of the game in that transition to the varsity level. It's been something they've had to learn on their own. … They're not playing like freshman anymore.”

Weltz said it wasn’t easy to stay motivated when things weren’t going well, but that he and Smith tried their best to set an example.

“It was a challenge at first, but it just depends on the way you look at it,” he said. “… If we're down, then they're going to be down, but if we're up and playing the game with enthusiasm then they'll be enthusiastic.”

Pluff said the season’s low point came after a 68-60 loss at Corvallis on Feb. 12. The Pirates were 2-12 at that point.

“We took a pretty good beating from them and we talked to them on the way home,” Pluff remembered. “I told them, 'None of these games mean anything. In a few weeks, we'll play a game that really means something, and it'll get us into the big tournament.'”

Wilson knocked down a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Libby three days later, and the Pirates caught a tailwind. They’re 5-3 since.

Polson matches up with Central A champion Belgrade (14-6) tonight at 8 p.m. in the first round of the state tournament.

They stopped at Simms for practice on the way to Great Falls yesterday, and will shoot around this morning at the University of Great Falls’ gym.

“I've talked with two or three coaches and watched some film,” Pluff said. “If we had our choice of the No. 1 seeds, Belgrade is who we'd play. I feel like we got a pretty good draw.”

Weltz is just glad to see his season extended.

“I was not expecting this at all,” the senior said. “I'm just ready for the experience and to take it all in and compete.”