COLUMBIA FALLS - People will be talking about this game for a long time to come.

The at-capacity gym hosted an intense and action-packed Northwestern A boys championship final between Columbia Falls and Polson.

The Saturday contest came down to the last possession, and the Wildcats (17-3) came away the winner, 53-52.

"We wanted to make this one memorable," Columbia Falls senior Robbie Dakin said.

Both teams came out ready to play solid basketball. Defenses were clicking early to stop breaks and interfere with passes.

When the Wildcats would score, the Pirates (14-6) would answer to tie it up again. Kevin Boyer set the tone for his team early in the first quarter. He drove the ball up to the left side of the key, slashed to the middle and dropped in a floater. On the next possession, Dakin grabbed a steal and raced down court for the layup.

But Polson's Colton Woods came right back and nailed a three to even the game at 5-5.

The Wildcats, in spite of throwing the ball away on the last play of the first quarter, managed to go on a 4-0 run to take a 13-9 lead.

Columbia Falls came out firing in the second. Guy Smith, the leading scorer for the Cats with 12, hit a quick jumper. On the next possession, Steffen Anderson hit a silky three.

Polson's first four trips down the hardwood were all in vain as the Pirates didn't move well on offense. Gabe Caye finally got something going when he drove into traffic, took off and banked one in as he bounced off Greg Macijunas deep in the paint.

Dakin entered the game and played his role to perfection: Come out and drain a trey.

"I haven't shot as well lately," Dakin said. "My percentages have been down, but coach wanted me to shoot."

Dakin finished the game with three three-pointers and 11 points.

The Pirates found themselves down by nine points early in the second but crawled back to within four as the Wildcats slowed down against a tough zone. But Columbia Falls took over again and went on a 7-2 spurt.

The Wildcats hit four of their seven deep balls in the second period and took a 31-22 lead into the half.

After the break, Columbia Falls' get up and go looked like it got up and went. The Wildcats went cold, and the Pirates went off.

Polson's James Langston stymied the Wildcats' offense time and time again. He also added six of his game-high 18 points in the third.

The Pirates' fan base began to shake the gym as their team erased an 11-point deficit to take a two-point lead when Woods hit a three-ball.

Columbia Falls was getting its chances, but the team couldn't get the ball to fall. The lead ping-ponged between the two teams: Langston beat his defender down low for the score only to watch Guy Smith feed Nick Beckwith under the basket for two.

With less than 20 seconds left in the third, Polson got called for traveling to give the Wildcats one more possession.

Smith, who had been finding an open man all night, found Kevin Boyer standing behind the arc on the right side. Boyer knocked down the trey at the buzzer as a wave of purple rushed him. The Pirates were down, 42-39.

Columbia Falls' confidence looked a little shaky in the third while Polson mounted its comeback.

"Yeah, we felt the pressure," Boyer said.

With the team's undefeated record at home on the line, the Wildcats went into the fourth determined to secure the win.

"This was our last home game," Smith said. "We haven't lost at home this year, and we didn't want to tonight."

Columbia Falls coach Cary Finberg also made an adjustment on defense. He switched the 'Cats to a 1-3-1 zone that slowed down Polson's offense.

"Polson did a lot right tonight," Finberg said. "But so did we. We took better care of the ball in the fourth."

Polson came out with the same fire as Langston blocked Nick Beckwith's shot on the Wildcats' first possession.

2:18 left

Another Dakin long bal put the Wildcats up 51-45.

Woods put his team on his shoulders and on back-to-back possessions drained a three and a layup that made a trip around the rim before falling.

:58 left

Gabe Caye then grabbed an offensive rebound and drained the put-back. Polson's side of the gym exploded when the Pirates took a 52-51 lead.

:20 left

Columbia Falls looked to leader and co-captain Boyer to take his team to victory. Boyer had the ball and was fouled by Langston for a one-and-one opportunity at the charity stripe. Boyer bounced the ball a few times, stared at the basket and swished his first shot to tie the game.

"I was thinking 'this is pretty nerve-wracking,'" Boyer said. "I'd better make the next one."

Swish.

The Wildcats now were up by one point.

The Pirates moved the ball forward against the Wildcats' full-court, man pressure. As the ball crossed the half-court line, Columbia Falls moved to a zone. Boyer found himself defending Woods and was able to grab hold of the ball for a jump ball.

But it was Polson's ball.

:04 left

The Pirates inbounded the ball to Woods, who was standing left of center on the arc. The Wildcats' front court rushed out as he put up what could have been the game-winning shot. But the ball hit the front of the rim, and Columbia Falls took the victory.

"The kids stuck with it and did great," Finberg said.

While Columbia Falls prepares for its trip to the state tournament, Polson now faces a challenge game against Whitefish Monday night at 7:30 p.m. in Columbia Falls.

Championship

WILDCATS 53, PIRATES 52

Polson 9 13 17 13 - 52

Columbia Falls 13 18 11 11 - 53

Polson - James Langston 7 4-7 18, Colton Woods 6 0-0 16, Bubba Michel 4 0-0 8, Chris Ogle 3 0-0 6, Gabe Caye 2 0-0 4. Totals: 22 4-7 52.

Columbia Falls - Guy Smith 5 2-3 12, Robbie Dakin 4 0-0 11, Kevin Boyer 3 2-2 10, Steffen Anderson 3 1-2 9, Greg Macijunas 3 1-6 7, Nick Beckwith 2 0-0 4. Totals: 20 6-13 53.

3-point goals: Woods (4); Boyer (2), Dakin (3), Anderson (2). Team fouls: Polson 12, Columbia Falls 12. Fouled out: None.