Reegan’s hat trick not enough to cage Wildkats
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
POLSON — The Lady Pirates suffered through two conference losses at home last week, but the big picture remains the same for them.
Despite losing 7-4 to Columbia Falls Thursday and 4-0 to Whitefish Saturday, the Lady Pirates can still earn the final Northwestern A playoff spot if they win their final two games.
“We have two must-win games and we’re golden,” Polson coach Michael Hewston said. “We’re two Ws away from their first playoff berth in a long time. That’s where our focus is.”
The Lady Pirates host Bigfork Thursday and travel to Libby Saturday for the final game of the regular season. In the first game against the two teams the Lady Pirates beat the Vals 5-1 and lost to the Lady Loggers 3-2, in a game where the Lady Pirates had plenty of chances to put Loggers away.
“They’re focused. We have a team comprised of a lot of seniors that had never had a playoff berth and now we’re two centimeters away from one. We have one baby step in Bigfork and one baby step in Libby,” Hewston said. “The girls are really focused and I think they’re ready. It’s been a long time coming.”
In her first game as striker this season, Reegan von Wildenradt finished with a hat trick, but it wasn’t enough to get past the Wildkats. von Wildenradt’s unassisted goal in the 24th minute was Polson’s only goal in the first half and they went into the break trailing 5-1. During halftime, Hewston asked his team if they were going to lie down and let the Wildkats roll over them. He didn’t have to wait long to get his answer.
Just 52 seconds into the second half, a von Wildenradt ball touched the back of the net for her second goal. Not even six minutes later, von Wildenradt completed the hat trick with Jordan Hinshaw assisting on the goal. The two switched roles in the 59th minute and all of sudden in was a 5-4 game with more than 20 minutes for the Lady Pirates to score the equalizer, but that was as close as the Lady Pirates would get.
“The girls showed a lot of drive and determination in the second half,” Hewston said.
Against the Lady Bulldogs Saturday, the Lady Pirates changed their lineup around, sat some starters, and gave some players the opportunity to try some new positions.
Summary
Columbia Falls 7, Polson 4
C. Falls 5 2–7
Polson 1 3–4
Whitefish 4, Polson 0
Whitefish 1 3–4
Polson 0 0–0
