Pirates girls basketball prepare for the start of the season

POLSON — The Polson Lady Pirates basketball coach Joe Quinn is optimistic his team will begin to grasp his offensive system entering his second season at the helm.

Though his roster isn’t completely solidified at this juncture of the season, the Lady Pirates’ roster will be 17 girls deep.

“I am sure that we will be a little bit younger this season and a little bit more inexperienced in terms of varsity minutes,” Quinn said. “I have like five juniors and seniors and I don’t know who is going to round out the team.”

One of the experienced players the Lady Pirates will have include three-year starter Lauren Lefthand.

“Lefthand is a good dribbler, an excellent passer, and has shot the ball well,” Quinn said.

Another versatile player the Lady Pirates will have at their disposal is 6-foot post player Mollie Fisher.

“I am hoping for big things from Mollie,” Quinn said. “She has done really well for us defensively last year, and I am hoping to get a little bit more offense out of her (this season).”

Kaelyn Smith is another guard Quinn says he has “high expectations” for.

“She is extremely quick and has been shooting the ball well this off season,” Quinn said.

Quinn Motichka will be another player that will play wing for the Lady Pirates.

“She has gone to all of the open gyms and is really working hard,” Quinn said. “Her shot has improved. She is a really scrappy player and plays extremely hard.”

Another player that will play wing guard is Mikayla Croft.

“She is a really good shooter for us.” Quinn said. “Hopefully she can knock down some buckets for us this year.”

Quinn said he is “optimistic” about his Lady Pirates team as they prepare to head into the Tip Off Tournament in Missoula on Dec. 9-10 and open against Corvallis.

“As far as the season goes, I am ready to get started and get this thing rolling,” Quinn said. “It’s nice to have one year under my belt as far as running our offense and defense. With all the returners, that will be much more comfortable with our offensive system this year.”

Because of the competitive conference that Quinn and his Lady Pirates team plays in, he acknowledges the night in and night out competition they will be up against.

“I want to try to stay as positive as much as possible because the rest of the conference is going to be tough,” Quinn said.

The Lady Pirates will have the defending Class A Divisional Champs Columbia Falls in their conference. Last season Butte Central won the state championship.

“We have Columbia Falls, who won the state in girls volleyball and are returning a bunch of basketball girls. WhiteFish will bring back a lot of girls and Frenchtown will also be tough. We just have to compete and play together as a team and try to make things tough for our opponent. We can’t give them anything to rebound. We have to play tough defense and know our shots when get the opportunity.”