Boys Basketball: Libby falls to Pirates in home finale
Paul Sievers/The Western News Kelly May works on the offensive end on Saturday against Polson.
Popping 3-pointers through the net as if they were half-speed, routine layups, the Polson boys dampened Libby’s regular-season home finale on Saturday afternoon with a 59-34 victory.
The Pirates hit from beyond the arc early and often in the Northwestern A triumph. In the first quarter alone, Polson buried four 3-pointers to shoot out to a 20-7 lead.
“We knew coming in that they could shoot the ball deep,” Libby coach Wally Winslow said. “We had a defensive plan to take away some 3’s but we didn’t execute.”
Facing a 13-point deficit after only 8 minutes, the Loggers just couldn’t climb out of the hole. The LHS defense did settle down and hold the Pirates to just six points in the second quarter. But on the other end, the Loggers could not find a groove on offense.
“We didn’t get to the basket,” Winslow said. “We got some good looks but yes, they were getting frustrated.”
Polson (4-2, 9-7) started to crank up the 3’s again in the third quarter and had doubled the score at 44-22 on Libby heading into the fourth. By the time the final buzzer had sounded, Polson had hit for 21 field goals – 10 of those 3-pointers.
Libby defeated Polson, 41-40, back on Jan. 16. This time around, the Pirates’ lineup included players such as Tim Rausch and Louis Mohr that did not appear in the first meeting. Tyler Krell scored a dozen points to lead Polson scorers. Vince DiGiallonardo netted 11 and Kyle Bagnell finished with 10.
For the Loggers, Kelly May scored 11 points – all in the second half – with a trio of 3-pointers.
Libby (3-4, 8-9) heads to Whitefish on Thursday to wrap up the regular season. The Loggers will then participate in the Northwestern A tournament on Feb. 25-27 at Glacier High School in Kalispell.
Polson 59, Libby 34
Saturday at Libby
Scoring by Quarters:
Polson 20 6 18 15—59
Libby 7 4 11 12—34
Polson (59)
DiGiallonardo 4 0-0 11, Bagnell 4 0-0 10, Fisher 2 2-2 7, Rausch 3 1-2 9, Mohr 3 0-0 7, Rathe 1 0-0 3, Krell 4 4-5 12. Totals 21 7-9 59.
Libby (34)
Benson 2 0-0 4, Maloney 2 0-0 5, May 3 2-2 11, Craig 1 0-0 2, Broden 3 0-0 6, Cislo 3 0-0 6. Totals 14 2-2 34.