The Lake County rivalry rematch between Polson and Ronan on Saturday, Feb. 10, was an important battle for the pecking order of the Northwest A Conference standings as the regular season draws to an end. The Lady Pirates and Maidens hung in the balance until the end, but Polson returned with the 37-36 victory.

The first half saw Polson and Ronan knotted after one quarter at 7-7, then the Lady Pirates took a 20-17 lead at the break. Polson went on a 9-4 run in the third quarter thanks to excellent post-play. Heading into the final frame down eight, the Maidens mounted a furious comeback and went on a 15-8 run of their own.

Ronan’s Nikki Kendall hit a three-point shot to pull her team to within 30-32 in the fourth. A steal and basket by Rylee Taylor-Jefferson pushed Polson’s advantage back to four. The Maidens, however, weren’t done, as Nevaeh Perez scored back-to-back buckets to tie the game at 34.

Polson took the lead on an Ahrianna Rushing bucket from a Julia Barnard assist. Barnard nailed a free throw to go up by three. Perez answered back with her own score to pull Ronan back within one with 42 seconds left.

Ronan was fouled on a drive to the basket, but the Polson defense on the inbound pass stymied an attempt at a potential game-winner.

It was the fourth-straight matchup between these two teams that were close until the final seconds.

Ronan’s Kendall and Polson’s Taylor-Jefferson each had 12 points, while Ronan’s Perez had 11.

Polson got seven points from Barnard and Rushing.

At Polson

POLSON 37, RONAN 36

Ronan - 7 - 10 - 4 - 15 - 36

Polson - 7 - 13 - 9 - 8 - 37

POLSON SCORING - Rylee Taylor Jefferson 12, Julia Barnard 7, Ahrianna Rushing 7, McKenna Hanson 3, Hinkley Moss 3, Samantha Rensvold 2, Aleysia Black 2, Natalie Adams 1

RONAN SCORING - Nikki Kendall 12, Neveah Perez 11, Zailee Hewankorn 4, Maddy Illig 3, Kailyn Marengo 2, Arianna Zepeda 2, Lauryn Buhr 1, Ernie Tapia-Torosian 1

Bigfork defeats Ronan

Bigfork improved to 11-0 in Northwestern A Conference action, downing Ronan 75-18 at home on Thursday, Feb. 8.

Zailee Hewankorn’s six points led Ronan, while Neveah Perez had four points.

At Bigfork

BIGFORK 75, RONAN 18

Ronan - 11 - 1 - 2 - 4 - 18

Bigfork - 22 - 24 - 20 - 9 - 75

RONAN SCORING - Zailee Hewankorn 6, Neveah Perez 4, Kylee Kelch 3, Ernie Tapia-Torosian 2, Lauryn Buhr 2, Rayna Tonasket 1

WildKats get past Polson in fourth

Columbia Falls surged in the fourth quarter to hand the Lady Pirates a 52-40 Northwest A Conference loss on Tuesday, Feb. 6.

Polson trailed 25-21 at halftime but battled back in the third quarter to take a 32-31 lead. The WildKats, however, responded with a 21-8 run in the fourth quarter.

Rylee Taylor-Jefferson scored 16 for the Lady Pirates, while Samantha Rensvold had seven.

COLUMBIA FALLS 52, POLSON 40

C-Falls - 14 - 11 - 6 - 21 - 52

Polson - 8 - 13 - 11 - 8 - 40

POLSON SCORING - Rylee Taylor-Jefferson 16, Samantha Rensvold 7, Hinkley Moss 4, Julia Barnard 3, Aleysia Black 3, McKenna Hanson 3, Natalie Adams 2, Ahrianna Rushing 1, Josie Henriksen 1

    Maiden Zailee Hewankorn looks for a way around Lady Pirate Samantha Rensvold during Saturday's Senior Night game in Polson. (Bob Gunderson photo)