Polson girls win two, Ronan splits rugged crossover slate

Polson and Ronan put together contrasting but encouraging efforts during last week’s Class A East-West crossover games, with the Lady Pirates earning a pair of wins at Dale Berry Court in Hamilton and the Maidens battling through a demanding schedule that included a dramatic late victory over Fergus.

Polson girls go 2-0 at crossover

Polson opened the crossover with a nail-biting 37-35 win over Laurel last Saturday, holding off a late push to improve to 3-1 on the young season.

The Lady Pirates built a 15-8 lead after one quarter and maintained control through three periods before Laurel trimmed the margin in the fourth.

Rylee Taylor Jefferson led Polson with 15 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Hinkley Moss added eight points, while Koko Scott and Olivia Ramirez chipped in four apiece. Aleysia Black, Braylin Black and Olivia Cottet also contributed to the scoring effort.

Laurel was led by Darby Boehler’s 23-point performance, with Emerson Gunther adding 10.
 One night earlier, Polson pulled away from Park County with a balanced offensive showing in a 58-39 victory.

The Lady Pirates steadily increased their lead in each quarter, using a strong second and third period to create separation. Jefferson again paced Polson with 20 points, knocking down three triples. Aleysia Black and Moss each scored 12, while Scott added seven and Ramirez six.

Polson shot efficiently from the floor and went 10-of-17 from the free-throw line, while holding Park to single digits in the final quarter.

Ronan battles through tough field

 Ronan faced a challenging slate at Browning and elsewhere, opening with an 81-40 loss to unbeaten Miles City on Saturday. The Cowgirls used a big second quarter to pull away, while Ronan struggled offensively early.

Kailyn Marengo led the Maidens with 13 points, followed by Natalie Adams with 11 and Nefertiti Stewart with six.

The Maidens rebounded Friday with one of the most dramatic finishes of the crossover, edging Fergus 59-57 on Friday.

After Fergus took a three-point lead with under two minutes remaining, Marengo answered with a clutch three-pointer off a drive-and-dish from Adams to tie the game. Stewart then knocked down two free throws in the closing seconds to seal the win.

Marengo finished with 16 points, while Nevaeh Perez added 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. Stewart posted nine points, five rebounds and four steals as Ronan improved to 1-3 at the time. 

On Tuesday, Dec. 16, Ronan fell 69-59 to Corvallis despite a strong all-around effort. Perez and Stewart each recorded double-doubles with 17 points apiece, as Perez added 11 rebounds and Stewart pulled down 12.

The loss came after Corvallis caught fire from beyond the arc in the third quarter, hitting six three-pointers to create separation.

Perez also reached a milestone in the game, surpassing 300 career varsity points.