Polson girls score close win over Ronan rivals
The Lake County rivalry rematch between Polson and Ronan on Saturday, Feb. 10, was an important battle for the pecking order of the Northwest A Conference standings as the regular season draws to an end. The Lady Pirates and Maidens hung in the balance until the end, but Polson returned with the 37-36 victory.
The first half saw Polson and Ronan knotted after one quarter at 7-7, then the Lady Pirates took a 20-17 lead at the break. Polson went on a 9-4 run in the third quarter thanks to excellent post-play. Heading into the final frame down eight, the Maidens mounted a furious comeback and went on a 15-8 run of their own.
Ronan’s Nikki Kendall hit a three-point shot to pull her team to within 30-32 in the fourth. A steal and basket by Rylee Taylor-Jefferson pushed Polson’s advantage back to four. The Maidens, however, weren’t done, as Nevaeh Perez scored back-to-back buckets to tie the game at 34.
Polson took the lead on an Ahrianna Rushing bucket from a Julia Barnard assist. Barnard nailed a free throw to go up by three. Perez answered back with her own score to pull Ronan back within one with 42 seconds left.
Ronan was fouled on a drive to the basket, but the Polson defense on the inbound pass stymied an attempt at a potential game-winner.
It was the fourth-straight matchup between these two teams that were close until the final seconds.
Ronan’s Kendall and Polson’s Taylor-Jefferson each had 12 points, while Ronan’s Perez had 11.
Polson got seven points from Barnard and Rushing.
At Polson
POLSON 37, RONAN 36
Ronan - 7 - 10 - 4 - 15 - 36
Polson - 7 - 13 - 9 - 8 - 37
POLSON SCORING - Rylee Taylor Jefferson 12, Julia Barnard 7, Ahrianna Rushing 7, McKenna Hanson 3, Hinkley Moss 3, Samantha Rensvold 2, Aleysia Black 2, Natalie Adams 1
RONAN SCORING - Nikki Kendall 12, Neveah Perez 11, Zailee Hewankorn 4, Maddy Illig 3, Kailyn Marengo 2, Arianna Zepeda 2, Lauryn Buhr 1, Ernie Tapia-Torosian 1
Bigfork defeats Ronan
Bigfork improved to 11-0 in Northwestern A Conference action, downing Ronan 75-18 at home on Thursday, Feb. 8.
Zailee Hewankorn’s six points led Ronan, while Neveah Perez had four points.
At Bigfork
BIGFORK 75, RONAN 18
Ronan - 11 - 1 - 2 - 4 - 18
Bigfork - 22 - 24 - 20 - 9 - 75
RONAN SCORING - Zailee Hewankorn 6, Neveah Perez 4, Kylee Kelch 3, Ernie Tapia-Torosian 2, Lauryn Buhr 2, Rayna Tonasket 1
WildKats get past Polson in fourth
Columbia Falls surged in the fourth quarter to hand the Lady Pirates a 52-40 Northwest A Conference loss on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
Polson trailed 25-21 at halftime but battled back in the third quarter to take a 32-31 lead. The WildKats, however, responded with a 21-8 run in the fourth quarter.
Rylee Taylor-Jefferson scored 16 for the Lady Pirates, while Samantha Rensvold had seven.
COLUMBIA FALLS 52, POLSON 40
C-Falls - 14 - 11 - 6 - 21 - 52
Polson - 8 - 13 - 11 - 8 - 40
POLSON SCORING - Rylee Taylor-Jefferson 16, Samantha Rensvold 7, Hinkley Moss 4, Julia Barnard 3, Aleysia Black 3, McKenna Hanson 3, Natalie Adams 2, Ahrianna Rushing 1, Josie Henriksen 1
Maiden Zailee Hewankorn looks for a way around Lady Pirate Samantha Rensvold during Saturday's Senior Night game in Polson. (Bob Gunderson photo)