Lady Pirates plunder Libby, 42-38

Playing with senior night emotion, the Lady Loggers came out strong against the Lady Pirates of Polson Saturday night at the Ralph Tate Memorial Gym. The girls couldn’t sustain the energy and emotion, though, and ultimately fell to their visiting foes, 42-38.

Libby’s girls dominated the first quarter of play, even though they seemed a bit sluggish offensively in the early minutes. By the end of the first quarter, the Lady Loggers’ offense was playing as well as their defense and they took a 12-0 lead into the first intermission.

Basketball, however, is a game of streaks and the Lady Pirates went on a run of their own in the second quarter. Holding the Lady Loggers to just five points in the second period, the Polson girls knocked in 14 and had closed the gap to just five as the teams broke for halftime. The third quarter went back and forth, with each team scoring 10. The quarter ended with a 29-24 Lady Loggers lead.

The Lady Pirates were not to be denied, though. Showing poise and perseverance, the Polson girls battled their way back against the Lady Loggers and tied the game at 34-34 with 5:15 remaining. The last five minutes of the game were all Polson, as the Lady Loggers managed just two buckets, giving up eight more points to Polson. The game ended with the Lady Loggers on the short end of the scoreboard, 42-38.

“We really let this game get away from us,” said head coach Jim May. “We played some of our best defense to start the game. As we started to struggle on offense the defensive end seemed to follow suit. After blowing a 12-point lead we still led by five in the fourth quarter, but turnovers and missed shots cost us the game. The kids know it’s one they should have won.”

The girls host the Lady Lions of Eureka in District 7-B playoff action Thursday night at 6 p.m.