Graham, Wilson, Lunceford named All-State

Class A basketball postseason honors are sporting a distinctly Lake County look in 2021.

Polson junior Colton Graham and sophomore Jarrett Wilson were named to the Class A boys All-State team, with Graham also garnering state Most Valuable Players honors, as determined by a poll of coaches.

Graham led the Pirates in scoring and rebounding. He also was among the team’s leaders in assists. This is the second all-state nod for Graham, a second-teamer after his freshman season. He beat out Jace Hill of Columbia Falls by two points for the conference scoring title.

Wilson was Polson’s second leading scorer and rebounder, and he led the conference in steals.

Each Class A league chose five first-team players, five second-team picks and honorable mention selections less than or equal to the number of teams in the conference. Only first-team picks were eligible to be named All-State.

Polson’s Randy Kelley, who guided the Pirates to a 17-4 mark and an undefeated run through conference play, is coach of the year for Northwest A.

Ronan senior Jaylea Lunceford made the All-State list on the girls side. She led the Maidens in scoring and rebounding for the third straight season. Lunceford led the league in rebounding the previous two seasons and finished a close second to Brook Smith of Whitefish this season.

Lunceford finished her career with more than 700 points and 600 rebounds.

Fellow Maiden LaReina Cordova made the All-State second team as a junior. She proved an effective offensive threat for Ronan, which advanced to the state tournament as the No. 2 seed out of the West. She also was among her team’s top rebounders and turned in a few double-double performances this season.

The All-State second team for the boys includes seniors Girma Detwiler and Leonard Burke of Ronan, and Polson junior Xavier Fisher.

Fisher was the Pirates’ third-leading scorer and among their top threats from 3-point range.

Detwiler led the Chiefs in rebounding, two-point field goals and assists. He finished second in the league in rebounding, just behind Allec Knapton of Columbia Falls. Detwiler closes out his two-year varsity career with more than 400 points, 300 rebounds, six dozen blocks and nearly 100 assists.

Burke led the Chiefs at the free throw line and in steals. He was second on the team in 3-pointers. He was named to the Western A Divisional all-tournament first-team, garnering MVP honors after career-high 38 points in a consolation round win. He scored more than 600 points in his varsity career.

Earning honor mention nods were Polson senior Trevor Lake, Ronan senior Zarec Couture and Ronan sophomore Elijah Tonasket.

Couture was second in steals for the Chiefs and third in assists. This was the second all-conference nod for Couture, a second-team pick last season.

Couture closes out his prep basketball career with dual triple century credentials for both scoring as well as rebounding along with almost six dozen career tallies for both assists as well as steals.

Tonasket was among the team's top scorers. He scored a career-high 27 points in the non-conference season opener.

Lake, who has signed to play football at the University of Montana-Western, closes out his prep career with more than 300 points and 200 rebounds.

BOYS

First team

Colton Graham. Polson, jr. (MVP)*

Caden Williams, Libby, jr.*

Jarrett Wilson, Polson, soph.*

Jace Hill, Columbia Falls, fr.*

Bodie Smith, Whitefish, jr.

Second team — Girma Detwiler, sr., Ronan; Allec Knapton, sr., Columbia Falls; Leonard Burke, sr., Ronan; Cody Carlson, sr., Browning; Xavier Fisher, jr., Polson.

Honorable mention — Elijah Tonasket, so., Ronan; Jay Beagle, sr., Libby; Jayce Cripe, sr., Whitefish; Trevor Lake, sr., Polson; TJ Andersen, jr., Libby; Zarec Couture, sr., Ronan.

Coach of the Year — Randy Kelley, Polson.

GIRLS

First team

Maddie Robison, Columbia Falls, jr. (MVP)*

Hannah Schweikert, Columbia Falls, sr.*

Gracie Smyley, sr., Whitefish*

Jaylea Lunceford, Ronan, sr.*

Brook Smith, Whitefish, sr.

Second team — Tatum Running Crane, sr., Browning; LaKia Hill, sr., Columbia Falls; Ashton Ramsey, sr., Whitefish; Mecca Bullchild, so., Browning; LaReina Cordova, jr., Ronan.

Honorable mention — Mikenna Ells, sr., Whitefish; Madysen Hoener, sr., Columbia Falls; Lauren Falkner, sr., Columbia Falls; Jadi Walburn, jr., Whitefish; Walker Running Crane, sr., Browning; Elise Erickson, sr., Libby.

Coach of the Year — Bob Bolam, Whitefish

*-denotes All-State selection.