Second, for now... Pirates fall to Columbia Falls in NWA final but have high hopes for state tourney
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RONAN - A breakout scoring night by Tyler Krell and a near triple-double by Louis Mohr were not quite enough to earn the Pirates a conference title Saturday as Polson fell to top-ranked Columbia Falls, 60-59.
The two teams split their pair of regular season matchups and Saturday's game lived up to everyone's expectations as the squads battled in another contest that went down to the wire.
Krell scored a team-high 19 points for Polson while Mohr added 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, but the Pirates will have to settle for a second seed heading into this weekend's state tournament in Bozeman.
The contest looked as if it might get out of hand early as Columbia Falls raced out to a quick lead, using three-pointers to build a 12-point advantage midway through the second quarter. Polson was not about to go quietly, though.
Defense and inside baskets helped the Pirates close the gap before the half as Polson trailed 38-29.
Polson continued to chip away at the lead in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 44-41 with 3:30 to play but the Wildcats rallied to take a 52-44 lead into the fourth quarter.
The game got truly interesting in the fourth quarter as Polson made a furious comeback.
Polson cut the lead to two late in the game when Mohr drove to the foul line and found Krell under the basket for an easy hoop. Krell tied the game at 53 moments later with a putback of a missed three.
Columbia Falls answered with a 15-foot jumper by Austin Barth to regain the lead just moments later.
Polson failed to score on its next possession but a steal by Mohr got the ball back in Pirate hands. Mohr found Sheldon Fisher on the wing, who knocked down a three to give Polson its first lead of the contest, 56-55.
The Wildcats had a quick answer as Barth converted on a three-point play to put Columbia Falls up 58-56.
Polson regained the lead on its next possession as Fisher connected on another three to put the Pirates up 59-58 with under 30 seconds to play.
Polson looked to be on its way to victory as the Wildcats turned the ball over but Nick Emerson was able to come up with a crucial steal in the game's closing moments and race to basket before getting fouled. Emerson connected on both free throws, leaving Polson down one with eight seconds to play.
Polson had one last chance to pull out a win as Kyle Bagnell drove to the basket, but his shot was blocked. A Wildcat player allegedly tiptoed the sideline as he saved the ball to Emmerson, who held it until time expired.
Krell's 19 points led Polson while Mohr and Fisher each added 14, Bagnell scored 10 and Vince DiGiallonardo added two points.
Barth led the Wildcats with 23 points.
Despite the loss, the Pirates will still be making the trip to Bozeman for the state tournament this weekend, where they will face Butte Central at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
The Pirates held off a feisty Whitefish squad in the semifinals Friday evening as Polson downed the Bulldogs, 52-49.
Whitefish looked strong early, grabbing a 15-13 lead after eight minutes of play but the Pirates righted the ship in the second quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 18-9 to grab a 31-24 halftime advantage. The Bulldogs closed the gap in the third quarter, though, outscoring Polson 15-9 to leave the Pirates up just 40-39 heading into the final eight minutes of action.
Polson widened its lead in the fourth quarter but the Bulldogs would not go away. The Pirates led by six with just seconds to play but a buzzer-beating three by Whitefish left Polson with a three-point win.
Mohr led Polson with 17 points in the win while Bagnell added 15, DiGiallonardo scored eight, Fisher had six, Krell scored four and Cody Fischer added two points.
Summary
Championship
Columbia Falls 60, Polson 59
Polson 17 12 15 15 - 59
Col. Falls 21 17 14 8 - 60
POLSON - Tyler Krell 19, Sheldon Fisher 14, Louis Mohr 14, Kyle Bagnell 10, Vince DiGiallonardo 2.
COLUMBIA FALLS - Austin Barth 23, Nick Emberson 16, Devyn Rocker 8, Kaleb Johnson 8, Colin King 5.
Semifinal
Polson 52, Whitefish 49
Whitefish 15 9 15 10 - 49
Polson 13 18 9 12 - 52
WHITEFISH - Kyler Blades 18, Alex Duroche 10, Cooper Olson 9, Drew Galbraith 4, Gage Vasquez 4, Mac Roche 2, Christopher Forest 2.
POLSON - Louis Mohr 17, Kyle Bagnell 15, Vince DiGiallanardo 8, Shelden Fisher 6, Tyler Krell 4, Cody Fischer 2.
