Lady Pirates end season at State
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BUTTE – The Polson Lady Pirates wrapped up their season last week at the Class A State Tournament in Butte. Polson had a rough start, falling to Dillon 48-40 in the opening round, but rebounded to beat Havre 46-44 the following day. The win gave Polson a chance to make it to the third-place consolation game, but the Lady Pirates lost to Laurel 61-46 on Saturday to finish the season with a 17-6 overall record.
In the opening round, the No. 2-seeded Pirates took on the No. 1-seed Dillon Lady Beavers out of the Southwest division.
Polson got off to a solid start, leading 7-6 after the opening quarter and jumping out to a 22-15 advantage at the break. Dillon used its relentless defensive presence in the third frame to tie the game at 25 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Beavers closed out the game with a 23-15 run, as Courtney Linder, Kansas Suenram and Carly King each knocked down 3-pointers to win 48-40.
Riley Kenney led Polson with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Mariah Hamel chipped in nine.
For Dillon, Linder, Suenram, King and Charlee Hahnkamp all finished with double-digits, as Hahnkamp led the team with 13 points.
The loss moved Polson to the loser-out bracket, where the Lady Pirates were paired with No. 1-seeded Havre out of the Central region. It was a tight game from the start, as the Blue Ponies led 23-17 at the end of the first half. Polson rallied in the third frame, outscoring Havre 17-10 to take a one-point lead heading into the fourth. Kenney knocked down a 3-pointer with 1:17 remaining to put Polson up 45-42, eventually winning 46-44.
Heidi Rausch paced Polson with 16 points, while Kenney tacked on another 15.
For Havre, Jaclyn Evans led the way with 11, while Chanal Standing Rock finished with 10.
The win allowed the Lady Pirates to play top-seeded Laurel from the Eastern division on Saturday.
Laurel set the tone early, going up 21-9 in the first frame, but Polson fired back by holding the Locomotives to seven points in the second quarter, entering the break down 28-21.
Laurel came back in the third with an offensive bang, outscoring Polson 21-1, and rolled to a decisive 61-46 win.
Kenney finished with a game-high 20 points for the Lady Pirates, while Anna DiGiallonardo put up 14.
For the Locomotives, Hannah Weishoff led the way with 18, while McKenzie Webinger put up 14. Yahlye Gallegos contributed 10 more.
SUMMARY
Laurel 61, Polson 46
Polson 9 12 13 12 – 46
Laurel 21 7 21 12 – 61
POLSON –Mariah Hamel 7, Anna DiGiallonardo 14, Riley Kenney 20, Heidi Rausch 6.
LAUREL – McKenzie Webinger 14, Jayde LeFevre 5, Yahyle Gallegos 10, Hannah Weishoff 18, Bailey Love 3, Leslie Gappa 2, Emily Smarsh 5, Lexi Budge 3, Carlee Hart 1.
Polson 46, Havre 44
Polson 11 6 17 12 – 46
Havre 12 11 10 11 – 44
POLSON – Mackenzie Banner 5, Mariah Hamel 1, Anna DiGiallonardo 4, Riley Kenney 15, Heidi Rausch 16, Macall Banner 3, Hallie Hovenkotter 2.
HAVRE – Brandy Lambourne 8, Jaclyn Evans 11, Sammy Evans 6, Peyton Filius 2, Chanal Standing Rock 10, Morgan Mazurkiewicz 2, Lacey Waid 3, Neya Bischoff 2.
Dillon 48, Polson 40
Dillon 6 9 10 23 – 48
Polson 7 15 3 15 – 40
DILLON – Courtney Linder 11, Kansas Suenram 12, Carly King 12, Charlee Hahnkamp 13.
POLSON – Mackenzie Banner 2, Mariah Hamel 9, Anna DiGiallonardo 2, Riley Kenney 18, Hallie Hovenkotter 3, Heidi Rausch 6.