WHITEFISH — Playing basketball in Whitefish is a daunting task, but a determined team of Pirates marched inside the Bulldog gym, left it all on the floor, and came home with a 54-38 conference win just the same.

“They just did exactly what we asked them to do and everything they needed to,” head coach Karl Tait said. “I was really just happy and surprised for them.”

Running a 2-3 zone, the Pirates found their rotation early, matching the strong Whitefish defense pound for pound. Cutting off lanes, and forcing the tough shots, each team held the other to under 10 in the first quarter – certainly an unusual pace for a Whitefish team armed with the likes of senior Colt Idol and a barrage of other seasoned ball players. 

If the Bulldogs thought they had seen the Pirates best at half, they were wrong.

Tied at 16 at the break, a defensive stalemate was on course to shatter when the Pirates found another step and refused to slow down, knocking down 19 each of the next two quarters and finishing what started as an even match with a decisive road win.

“Our kids played very good defense. That was the key to the game,” Tait said.

While the Pirates found a way to make their possessions count with good team ball and strong individual performances, Idol was held to 11 points, his lowest tally of the year.

Tait said his team is an interchangeable one and being able to use different players in different positions let him put Waylon Michel at point guard to use senior Craig Bagnell elsewhere. The versatility of the good-sized guards is a promising feature of this year’s squad, Tait said.

“That’s a luxury a coach likes to have is taller guards who can handle the ball,” Tait said.

The Pirates, found saw points drained from all around the court and by a number of players on the roster. While Tait has always preached a balanced offense and was pleased with the spread on the score sheet, there was no denying that junior Tim Rausch produced for the Pirates, using jukes and speed to close in on the rim enough times for 18 points in the game.

“Timmy is a real slasher. He has a way of getting in between people and slashing in between people. That’s just the kind of good competitor he is,” Tait said.

Rausch slashed his way to some three point plays burning through Bulldog fouls for the hard-fought buckets and free throws to boot. 

Rausch’s supporting cast didn’t slouch either. Sophomore Kyle Bagnell scored 15 and eight rebounds for starters, earning himself the honor of player of the game.   

Senior Waylon Michel managed the offense at the point and finished with eight. Senior Ryan Kelley and sophomore Louis Mohr each had four points, senior Craig Bagnell had three and junior Derrick Rathe had two.

Kelley led the team with ten rebounds. Rausch finished five and Craig Bagnell and Michel each had brought down four.

Winning in conference earns the precious points that count towards post-season placing, and doing it on the road, especially against a top competitor like Whitefish is particularly rewarding.

“You got to give them credit. They played well and they deserved to win,” Tait said.

Not one to count his chickens before they catch, Tait also said it’s a long season and the Pirates have won little so far in the grand scheme of things.

“It’s early. It depends on how we respond and handle the next game. They can’t let up, every game they have to play hard,” Tait said.

While Tait was pleased with 45 percent shooting overall and four treys, the Pirates struggled in free throws, going just 12 for 22 at the line.

“… which is unacceptable,” Tait said. “We have to get better at that. We have better shooters than that.”

Polson  will go into the break 1-0 in conference and 1-1 record overall. Tait said they will be sorting through early season mechanics in the mean time and bolstering their free throw percentage as they prepare to go on the road again to face Stevensville on Saturday, Jan. 3. 

Polson        9    7    19    19    F- 56

Whitefish        6    10    6    16    F- 38