At Browning, the visiting Pirates outscored the host Running Indians in the second half, but couldn’t overcome the double digit deficit dug by their second quarter doldrums. Colton Graham, Bo Kelley and Trevor Schultz led Polson in scoring with a collective contribution of 30 points. The Pirates outshot Browning from beyond the arc and generated a higher percentage of deuces, but netted three less at the charity stripe as well as trailed by a handful of conversions from the floor.

Against Frenchtown earlier in the week, the Pirates found themselves in a high teen hole after the first frame. Reserves Keyan Dalbey, Ryker Wenderoth, and Parker Toth helped spark a comeback off the bench, spearheadinging an aggressive defensive effort that included strategic baskets that trimmed the deficit to within ten at intermission.

The Pirates reeled off 19 straight points in the third quarter to take over the lead entering the final frame. Both teams traded baskets in a seesaw back and forth battle. Tied at 50 apiece, the Pirates were at the free throw line, but were unable to capitalize. The Broncs would score at their end in the waning seconds to retake the lead 52-50 with an “and-one” opportunity, but missed the bonus. With less than a half dozen ticks remaining on the clock, the Pirates drove the length of the floor, but would miss a buzzer beating jumper in the key that would have extended the game into overtime.

In reflecting upon the disparity between the opening quarter and the middle frames, coach Randy Kelley commented, “We need to start playing four full quarters and get out of our own way.”

Polson will inaugurate the New Year with a roundball rivalry wrangle with Ronan on Friday, Jan. 4.

Browning 68, Polson 59

Trevor Schultz crested the century (100) point plateau for varsity career scoring.

Polson (0-2, 1-5), Browning (3-0, 5-1)

Polson 17 10 15 17 – 59

Browning 19 20 13 16 – 68

POLSON – Colton Graham 4 3-4 12(10r), Bo Kelley 3 1-1 9(2r,1s), Trevor Schultz 3 1-2 9(2r), Micah Askan 4 0-1 8(4r,1s), Kordell Walker 3 1-1 7(6r,1b), Ryker Wenderoth 2 0-0 5, Robin Erickson 1 3-7 5(4r,3a,1s), Seth Lake 2 0-0 4(1r), Keyan Dalbey (2r).

BROWNING – Tyree Whitcomb 25(20r,7a,3s,1b), Ethan RunningCrane 16, Rylee Spoonhunter 8, Justin Burd 6, Deion MadPlume 6, Derek Sharp 4, CJ Smith 2, Trevon Fisher 1, tmB(33r,18a,22s,3b).

3FGs – P6-15 (Schultz 2-4, Kelley 2-4, Wenderoth 1-1, Graham 1-5), B4-26 (Spoonhunter 2-8, E.RunningCrane 1-4, Whitcomb 1-5). (Sa22Dec18) Expanded stat specs supplied by host venue. Some details may vary from Pirate sideline specs.

Frenchtown 52, Polson 50

NWA Polson (1-4), SWA Frenchtown (5-1)

Polson 8 13 19 10 – 50

Frenchtown 26 6 4 16 – 52

FRENCHTOWN – Cade Baker 21, Hank Rugg 10, Zack Baker 10, Mason Pyron 5, Brandon Finley 4, Dawson Leishman 2.

POLSON – Colton Graham 6 6-8 19, Micah Askan 5 0-1 11, Ryker Wenderoth 2 0-0 6, Keyan Dalbey 3 0-1 6, Robin Erickson 1 1-4 3, Kordell Walker 2, Parker Toth 0 2-2 2, Seth Lake 1.

3FGs – P4 (Wenderoth 2, Graham, Askan), F5 (C.Baker 3, Z.Baker, Pyron). (Th20Dec18)

— Bob Gunderson contributed to this article.