Pirates headed to state basketball tourney
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RONAN – During the three-day Western A Divisional basketball tournament held at the Ronan Event Center this past weekend, the Polson Pirates earned a fourth-place finish and a state basketball tournament bracket spot while the Ronan Chiefs and Maidens closed out their respective seasons.
Up against the Frenchtown Broncs in the opening rounds on Thursday, the Pirates started the tournament with a 48-39 loss. Pirate Colton Graham led all scorers on the court with 16 points.
Against the Ronan Chiefs on Friday, the Pirates staved off tournament elimination with a 22-7 first-quarter scoring outburst that propelled them to a 65-55 win. Once again, Graham led all shooters with a game-high 18 points, while Bo Kelley netted 13 points. Trey Don’t Mix paced Ronan with 17 points, and Leonard Burke scored 15 points for the Chiefs.
Polson kept its season alive with a 50-44 Saturday win over the Whitefish Bulldogs in a loser-out game, and they clinched a state tournament berth. For the Pirates, Graham had a game-high 15 points and Ryker Wenderoth added 11 points.
In the consolation final on Saturday, the Pirates struggled against the Butte Central Maroons, falling 63-35 and earning a number-four seed for the state tournament. The Maroons jumped to a 17-6 lead in the first quarter. Both offensive teams were a little sluggish in the second quarter. Butte Central took off in a 20-11 third quarter and 18-13 fourth quarter for the win. Ryker Wenderoth tossed in 12 points to lead the Pirates.
The State A tournament will be played at the MetraPark First Interstate Arena in Billings, starting on Thursday, March 12, and concluding two days later. Polson’s tournament opener will be against Hardin at 10:30 a.m.
The Ronan Chiefs opened their divisional tournament play on Thursday with a 56-30 loss to the Butte Central Maroons. Zarec Couture scored eight points for the Chiefs and Girma Detwiler and Elijah Tonasket each scored seven points.
The Ronan Maidens fell 45-37 at their divisional appearance on Thursday to the Hamilton Lady Broncs and 77-46 on Friday to the Browning Lady Indians. In the game against Hamilton, Regan Clairmont scored a Maiden team-high 12 points. Analeta Yellowbird paced Ronan with 16 points against Browning.
