Pirates building on last year’s foundation

Polson's basketball season ended at Divisionals last year, but the Pirates took that energy and will feed it into this year's campaign.

"That team last year set the tone for our program with how hard they played, rebounded and competed in every game all season long," Polson Head Coach Jacon Halgren said. "We expect to build on that foundation and compete with every team in the Northwest A."

Although the Pirates are not returning a lot of experience this year, the new faces could make a quick impact.

"We have a great group of boys that are eager to prove themselves at this level," Halgren said. "We are eager to get on the court and see who emerges as the leaders of this team. We will lean on playing fast, physical, and winning the rebounding battle.”

He also predicts “a more balanced offensive attack this year with the ability to have more weapons on the floor at all times."

Brock Henriksen is entering this season after missing the start of last year, while Ezra Fasthorse was the team's most improved player from last year.

"Both he and Brock set the tone for us in terms of their approach and how we expect our players to compete," Halgren said. "There will be a lot of fresh faces on our varsity squad this year, so in a sense, they are all newcomers.”

“Every minute at every position is up for grabs at this point,” he added. “The boys are competing every day to see who will get the chance to make an impact. They are all hungry for that opportunity. "

Halgren pointed out the Northwest A returns a lot of varsity production across the board from last year, meaning a battle every time a conference game is played. The addition of the talented Bigfork does not make the conference any easier.

"Our boys have bought into our program's values," Halgren said. "We are committed to the work needed to be playing our best basketball by the end of the season and setting ourselves up to be able to do so."