Polson pulls away late to end Whitefish’s season

A pivotal 13-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters turned the tide Thursday night, as Polson defeated Whitefish 52-45 in a Northwest A boys basketball play-in game. The Bulldogs end their season with a 6-13 record. 

The game was tightly contested through the first half, with Whitefish holding a narrow 27-26 advantage at the break. 

The Bulldogs held on with a 36-32 lead late in the third quarter and appeared poised to take control before the Pirates answered. Malakai Curley ignited the surge with a driving layup, sparking a run that flipped the momentum for good.

Kyson Michel then gave Polson the lead just before the end of the third quarter with a pull-up jumper. The Pirates (9-10) carried that energy into the final frame and never trailed again. Michel finished with 17 points and was steady at the free-throw line down the stretch, knocking down 7 of 8 attempts to help seal the win.

Curley added 13 points for Polson, while Maddox Bird contributed eight.

Whitefish was led by Will Sisson, who scored 17 points and connected on three 3-pointers. Reyd Hobart added 13 points, also hitting three shots from beyond the arc.