Mission defeats Polson in Mission Valley battle

In a league of state powers, Mission has firmly established itself as a team to be reckoned with in the Western 7B. Perhaps Mission's biggest win of the year, however, came last Tuesday, Jan. 24, when it defeated Class A Polson 68-62.

"That one was an exciting game," Mission basketball star Zoran LaFrombois said. "Polson had beat Ronan, and Ronan had beat us, so we went in as underdogs."

Class B Mission defended its home gym, and double-teamed Pirate scorer Jarrett Wilson. The game was knotted 33-33 at halftime and would remain close for much of the second half.

Wilson scored several times to keep the Pirates a shot behind the Bulldogs, but LaFrombois used a double-team on the other end to find an open Carmine Adams for the dagger bucket.

"When we beat them, that crowd was loud, and it's a big momentum booster for the end of the season," LaFrombois said.

"Our win against Polson was a confidence booster and was fun for the fans to watch," Mission Head Basketball Coach Stuart Grant said.

LaFrombois finished with a career-high 47 points, topping his previous top tally of 44 points from last year's district game against Thompson Falls. It was the third time he had scored 40 or more points.

"I was feeling shots go in early, so I was being aggressive, and it was opening up other people in the game as I drove," LaFrombois said. "It felt like a good night."

Wilson finished with 22 points and nine rebounds for the Pirates. Kellen McClure added 10 points to the Bulldogs efforts.

Mission hit nine three-pointers in the game, including six from LaFrombois. His game helped the Bulldogs defeat Polson for the first time since 2006. Currently, at 6-3 in league action – good enough for second place in the Western 7B – Mission is beginning to pick up the pace when things matter.

"We had a slow start to the year since we were missing some kids," LaFrombois said. "Last year, we started hot, but we're slowly getting things going and on the right track this year."

LaFrombois said he would like to see the team make state for the first time since the early 2000s. There are some tough-tough teams in the district, including Missoula-Loyola and Bigfork, but wins over Class A foes show Mission might be up to the task.

"As a team, we're going to make improvements and have to stay together," LaFrombois said. "We have to focus on the game ahead of us, which is a whole lot easier than saying, 'we have four games, and we have to beat this team and that team.'"

Grant said that the team is confident going into the last two weeks of the season, but they have to stay focused on each matchup ahead of them.

"The team's play has been better," Grant said. "We're figuring things out game to game in order to get ready for tournament play. Districts will be a competitive tournament in Eureka. They are always competitive in 7-B."

LaFrombois said he has been playing basketball for as long as he can remember, saying it's a sport he feels comfortable with.

"When you have something on your mind, you can just go and shoot, and it helps," LaFrombois said.

Through the years of playing, LaFrombois has developed excellent chemistry with his teammates as they grew up playing hoops.

"Most of the guys have known each other since they were really little," LaFrombois said. "That's helped with the team. If you come to look at us, we're a small group, but we get up and down the floor. It's fast and exciting to watch."

LaFrombois said a big inspiration for him has been his dad, Devlin LaFromboise, and Arlee's Phillip Malatare, who won two state championships.

"My dad is always teaching me and answering questions I might have after a game, while Phillip has shown that you can do anything at a small school, even win back-to-back state titles here in the valley," LaFrombois said.

At Mission

MISSION 68, POLSON 62

Polson - 16 - 17 - 10 - 19 - 62

Mission - 17 - 16 - 13 - 22 - 68

POLSON: Jarrett Wilson 22; Trent Wilson 13; Espn Fisher 10; Cymian Kauley 9; Dawson DuMont 5; Tyler Wenderoth 3.

ST. IGNATIUS: Zoran LaFrombois 47; Kellen McClure 10; Landon Walks Over Ice 5; Carmine Adams 4; Leo Pierce 2

Eureka fends off Mission

Eureka survived a 21-7 run by Mission in the fourth quarter for a 52-51 Western 7B victory over the Bulldogs on Friday, Jan. 27. A four-point first quarter by Mission had them clawing to get back the rest of the way.

Mission trailed 28-22 at halftime, but Eureka went on a 17-8 run in the third quarter.

Zoran LaFormbois finished with 30 points in the loss. Mission is now 6-3 in league play and 7-6 overall.

Friday, Jan. 27

EUREKA 52, MISSION 51

Eureka - 13 - 15 - 17 - 7 - 52

Mission - 4 - 18 - 8 - 21 - 51

MISSION: Zoran LaFrombois 30, Carmine Adams 7, Talon Addison 4, Kellen McClure 4, Thomas Addison 2, Kenny Ness 2, Landon Walks Over Ice 2