For the second time in three years, the Lady Pirates will head to the Class A Girls Basketball State Tournament. The team placed second at the Northwestern A Divisional tournament after posting an impressive 15-5 regular season record. In the first round of the Montana’s Big Dance, they face a familiar foe in Dillon.

For the second time in three years, the Lady Pirates will head to the Class A Girls Basketball State Tournament. The team placed second at the Northwestern A Divisional tournament after posting an impressive 15-5 regular season record. In the first round of the Montana’s Big Dance, they face a familiar foe in Dillon.

At the season-opening Tip-off Tournament in December, Polson downed Dillon 49-36 in their second game of the season. Dillon would go on to win the Southwestern A Divisional title while the Lady Pirates finished 6-2 in conference play, with both their losses coming at the hands of No. 3 ranked Frenchtown.

In fact, the only losses that the Lady Pirates have suffered this season have come at the hands of ranked Class A teams (No. 2 ranked Stevensville, No. 3 ranked Frenchtown) and AA competition (Kalispell Flathead).

At the divisional tournament two weeks ago, Polson played in a tough semifinal match against the host school Columbia Falls. Earlier in the year, both teams had battled to overtime where the Lady Pirates pulled off a 59-57 victory. Polson didn’t leave anything to the imagination in the tournament, notching a 50-37 win despite the other team’s home court advantage.

That set up a conference championship game between Polson and Frenchtown, fresh off the heels of the Lady Broncs’ 61-36 drubbing of the Lady Pirates on Valentine’s Day. During the championship game, Polson wasn’t intimidated. The Lady Pirates battled step-for-step with the Lady Broncs and were one last moment three-pointer away from overtime in a 40-35 loss.

Both crowds came away knowing that the Northwestern A was going to be well represented in Butte at the state tournament.

2011-12 POLSON LADY PIRATE STATE-BOUND BASKETBALL ROSTER

THE SEASONED SENIORS

Macall “Mighty Mite” Banner – This 5’3” guard is a tremendous ball-handler and defender. Banner can sometimes exhibit Luke Skywalker-esque qualities with her penchant for making a strategic play capable of shifting the momentum of the game as if The Force was with her.

Banner can be deadly from three-point land and will be looking to finish her senior season on a high note.

Jordan Quinn – She’s a talented 5’5” forward with a shooting touch that would make BJ Armstrong on NBA Jam blush. Quinn can dial the operator long distance from beyond the arc with her sweet perimeter shooting. If teams at the state tournament leave her open, they’ll pay for it.

Mariah Hamel – Two-time all-conference guard Mariah Hamel is the general on the floor for the Lady Pirates. She has a place in the top 10 categories in the Northwestern A league for three-point shooting, free-throw shooting, steals, assists and total points scored.

She’s also registered over 100 steals, assists and rebounds in her career, showing her all-around versatility. Hamel has spent time scrimmaging with collegiate players at SKC and plays plenty of offseason ball.

Riley “The Cannon” Kenney – In keeping with the Star Wars comparisons, Kenney is comparable to the Jedi-like master of the Lady Pirates. The 5’10” post is an all-state player for Polson with her high-percentage shots both from the floor and the free-throw line. She has averaged a double double all season long and has had almost four dozen double-digit scoring games in her career. She scored well over 200 points her sophomore season and would have scored more than 300 points last year had it not been for a shoulder injury.

She’ll be looking to break the 400-point barrier for the season at the state tournament, and hopefully hit the 1,000-point career milestone as well.

THE JUGGERNAUT JUNIORS

Mackenzie Banner – Banner is in the Northwestern A top 10 for three-pointers and assists and is in the top 20 for steals and rebounding. Forming a defensive force with her sister, Macall, the Banner sisters should strike fear into any of the top scorers at the state tournament.

Heidi “Rumblin” Rausch – This 5’8” post is going to be hard to ignore in the paint by opposing teams. Having grown up playing against her two all-conference basketball player brothers, getting physical isn’t a problem for Rausch.

She’s a key part in the “Pirate Blockade Defense” that held teams to under 20 points several times this season.

Anna DiGiallonardo – When opposing teams blink, they miss this human fast break machine of a player. The 5’5” guard went coast-to-coast more times than a Boeing 747 with her defensive skills and blazing speed. DiGiallonardo is in the conference top 10 for steals, shooting percentage for both threes and deuces, as well as total points and assists. The defense she played against Frenchtown’s best player in the conference championship game means that she should be able to handle anything the top competition throws at her in the state tournament.

THE SENSATIONAL SOPHOMORES

Jessica Bagnell – Bagnell ranked in the Northwestern A top 10 last season for blocked shots and is an excellent player off the bench for the Lady Pirates. Bagnell can hit plenty of shots and put in multiple double-figure scoring outings at the junior varsity level this past season.

When Polson calls on her at the state tournament, she’ll be good to go.

Monika Frame – This 5’10” post player has proven to be a good rebounder and plays great defense in the perimeter that can disrupt ball handlers. Her shooting touch can also give the Lady Pirates some bonus offense in the paint.

Hallie Hovenkotter – This 5’11” post relishes anytime one can engage in a good game of basketball. Her development as a player has progressed so well that she has been reeling in rebounds as well as netting putbacks with the minutes she puts on the court in relief of others. The extended reach of Hovenkotter provides the Lady Pirates with an additional defensive asset.

Shelbi Mallon – Mallon has shown her capability as a solid rebounder who can also pick up putback points.

Breanna Harrison – This sophomore rates as one of the more improved players from last season in terms of her acquisition of skills and growth in her basketball capabilities.

Malia “Shnookums” Hamel – Hamel may have acquired her nickname because of her penchant for snookering taller players despite their height advantage and longer reach when she wades into traffic among them and consistently comes out with the ball. Hamel takes after her point guard sister in that she has sound ball-handling skills as well as deep-threat capability.

Tegan “Teegs” Bauer - Bauer tends to be a multiple stat category contributor with the minutes she puts on the court in relief of others. Bauer has been honing her basketball craft this season and the progress she has demonstrated advanced her to the varsity level.

A pair of alternates who are slated to accompany the team to the tournament include tennis playing 5’4” sophomore guard Karly Rochin as well as all-state, two-time all-conference golfer and softball state champion utility 5’6” sophomore guard/forward Jaylin Kenney.

AN OVERALL LOOK AT THE LADY PIRATES

Fifth-year head coach Randy Kelley is making his second trip to the state tournament with the Lady Pirates and is assisted by Brad Fisher and Jay Krantz. Two seasons ago, Polson came within a few baskets of beating the No. 2 and No. 4 placing teams in the state.

Polson came into the season with plenty of lofty expectations, lots of returning players and showed a hard nosed, relentless defense. Their offense isn’t too shabby either as four Lady Pirate players have scored over 100 points this season. They are all ranked in the top 10 conference scorers.

They know how to pass the ball as well, with three different Polson players ranked in the conference top 10 for assists.

After losing in the semifinals of the divisional tournament last year, the Lady Pirates have come back in 2011-12 with a newfound drive and focus. They don’t back off with their defense and can stifle a lesser opponent in a hurry.

A LOOK AT THEIR OPPONENT

Polson’s first round opponent will be the Dillon Beavers (11-10), a team they have faced before and dispatched, but both clubs have matured since then. Anything can happen in the state tournament and in their meeting earlier in December this season, Dillon outscored Polson in the middle two quarters and had the lead heading into the final stanza.

The Lady Pirates put together a late surge that vaulted them by their opponent while their defense held tough. Polson held Dillon’s leading scorer, Charlee Hahnkamp, below her current 12.2 points per game average. That game also took place before the Lady Beavers successfully dispatched topranked (2SW) Butte Central (17-4) and No. 2 ranked Stevensville (15-5) twice.

If Polson is successful in getting past its first-round opponent in game two, they would face the winner of the Havre (13-7) vs. Billings Central (14-6) on Friday in the early evening.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER

Riley Kenney will be looking to make her mark at the state tournament in Butte as she approaches several season and career milestones in statistical categories. The locals shouldn’t have any problem recognizing the name Kenney since her father, Tom, is a Butte Central Hall of Fame inductee. He played in the mid ‘80s, scoring over 400 points his senior year and 1,000 points in his career.

Two decades later, Kenney will be looking to hit those same exact milestones for Polson. She needs just 53 more points to reach them. If Polson plays four games in the state tournament, she would need to average 13.5 points per game which is well below her season average of nearly 20.

Her father is no stranger to putting points on the scoreboard. He still holds the record for highest scoring total by a player in a state championship game in a losing effort. He dropped 41 points in a double overtime 99-97 loss to Park High School his senior year in 1985. He led his team to the state championship in 1984.

However the Lady Pirates do, Kenney will finish her high school career on the very same court that her father did nearly three decades ago.

Editor’s Note: John Heglie did an incredible amount work putting this state preview together. Without his effort, this wouldn’t have been possible and we’d like to thank him for his help covering local sports.