By DAVID ERICKSON

Whitefish Pilot

That’s a tough way to go down.

The Lady Bulldogs fought to the finish on Saturday night at home against Polson but wound up losing in the final seconds, 41-44, in the Northwestern A opener for both teams.

The Whitefish girls battled an early deficit to take a 27-24 lead into halftime. They went on a 9-0 run midway through the second quarter, and it was looking like they could hold off the Lady Pirates.

At half, Whitefish head coach Tim Olson let his girls watch the 1978 Lady Bulldogs team take the court for a 30th anniversary ceremony. That team went 21-1 and won the state championship in Laurel. They remain the best girls basketball team in school history.

After the half, both teams came out cold. Whitefish was unable to get anything going offensively, but the Lady Pirates found equal futility.

The teams were tied at 32-all heading into the final quarter. Polson’s Nicole Davey hit two free throws in the final seconds to give her team the lead, and Whitefish was forced to use two time-outs to try to find a way to get an open three-point shot.

Senior Kate Klundt was unable to get her shot off, and the buzzer rang before she could find an open shooter.

Klundt finished with a game-high 20 points, going 13-for-20 from the free-throw paint. She scored Whitefish’s final six points.

Jessie Slaybaugh finished with seven, while Heather Melcer, Torie Powell and Paula Oliveira threw in four apiece.

The Lady Bulldogs finished 18-for-34 from the charity stripe. They also committed 34 turnovers, which the Lady Pirates used to their advantage.

The Whitefish girls were tenacious until the very end, but they were unable to get as many defensive rebounds as they would have liked. They also gave the Polson girls too many second-shot opportunities, allowing them to pull ahead in the final frame.

After Christmas break, the Whitefish girls resume action on the road against Libby on Saturday, Jan. 3.

Polson     13 11  8 12  - 44

Whitefish  7  20  5   9  - 41

Polson — Amanda James 1 1-2 4, Sierra Pete 1 0-4 2, Breanne Kelley 5 2-4 12, Rochelle Woods 3 0-1 6, Riley Kenney 2 1-2 5, Nicole Davey 2 5-7 9, Sarah Newton 2 0-2 4, Cali Hislop 1 0-0 2. Totals — 17 9-22 44.

Whitefish — Jessie Slaybaugh 2 2-4 7, Torie Powell 2 0-1 4, Kate Klundt 3 13-20 20, Heather Melcer 1 1-4 4, Olivia Nagler 0 2-4 2, Paula Oliveira 2 0-1 4. Totals — 10 18-34 41

3-pointers — Polson 1 (James), Whitefish 3 (Slaybaugh, Klundt, Melcer); Team fouls — Polson 25, Whitefish 21; Fouled out — Polson (Hislop), Whitefish (Melcer).