WHITEFISH — The Whitefish Bulldogs hung around early but as time went on the visiting Polson Pirates pressure defense took over and ran away with a 44-32 win in Western A basketball Friday.

Pirates junior Addyson Gallatin led all scorers with 20 points. Gallatin found success from beyond the arch, knocking down four triples on the night.

The host Bulldogs had momentum early on, leading 17-12 with 3:45 to go in the first half but Polson used a mix of defensive intensity and fast break offense to spark a 10-3 run and take a 22-20 lead into the break.

From there the Pirates continued to smother the Bulldogs defensively, notching multiple turnovers down the stretch and forcing two separate shot clock violations.

"This was our first game back from Christmas break, trying to get your feet under you and get back in the swing of things,” Polson head coach Brandie Buckles said. “I was happy with the way we played defense and we'll continue to work on it.”

Ainsley Scott paced the Bulldogs scorers with nine points including a make from deep. Nikki Kendall and Ilysia Adams each scored six points for the Pirates.

Polson 10 12 9 13 - 44

Whitefish 11 9 6 6 - 32

POLSON — Addyson Gallatin 20, Nikki Kendall 6, Ilysia Adams 6, Julia Barnard 4, Samantha Rensvold 4, Mila Hawk 2, Grace Simonich 2.

WHITEFISH — Ainsley Scott 9, Judge Perry 6, Brooke Roberts 5, Madi Gordon 4, Hailey Ells 4, Rya Hirsch 2, Yoli Krastev 2.