Dogs get swarmed by the Pirates
David Erickson / Whitefish Pilot Above, senior Matt Whitehead had his hands full defending the Polson attackers on Friday night at Whitefish High School. At right, Marc Hotzfield takes a pass from Willie Roche just before halftime.
By DAVID ERICKSON
Whitefish Pilot
If the Bulldogs can find a way to play the second half of games like they do in the first, they will be tough to beat. Until then, they will have to keep grinding.
Whitefish has outscored opponents in every first half this year but have had shaky third quarters the last two weeks. On Friday night in the conference opener at Whitefish High School gym, the third quarter cost them again.
The Bulldogs were tied at halftime with Polson but came out flat in the third quarter and watched the Pirates win 54-38. The Pirates outscored Whitefish 19-6 in the third frame, which turned out to be the nail in the coffin for the ‘Dogs.
The Polson boys used a crisp passing attack to throw the Bulldogs on their heels. Several different Pirates moved the ball around the three-point line, dribbled inside, then either dumped the ball out or found the open man at the low post.
Defensively, Whitefish looked a little helpless in stopping their attack. On offense, Whitefish looked out of rhythm, as the Pirates forced them into low-percentage shots the entire game.
Whitefish was led by senior Colt Idol, but he was limited to a season-low 11 points after scoring at least 24 points in each of his team’s first three games.
Senior Aaron Tkachyk had 10 points for the Bulldogs, Josh Backer had six, and David FauntLeRoy had four. The ‘Dogs had their best offensive production in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 points. That was mitigated by Polson’s 19 in the fourth.
Polson junior forward Tim Rausch led all scorers with 18 points as the Pirates improved to 1-0 in the league, 1-1 overall. Kyle Bagnell added 15 points for Polson.
In the preseason coaches poll, Polson was picked to finish fourth in the conference, and Whitefish was picked to finish second.
The Bulldogs dropped to 0-1 in conference action and 2-2 overall. After Christmas break, they return to action on Jan. 2 when they host Western AA Flathead High School at home. Tip-ooff is set for 7:30 p.m.
Polson 9 7 19 19 - 54
Whitefish 6 10 6 16 - 38
POLSON - Craig Bagnell 3, Kyle Bagnell 15, Waylon Michel 8, Tim Rausch 18, Louis Mohr 4, Ryan Kelley 4, Derrick Rathe 2.
WHITEFISH - Matt Whitehead 1, Aaron Tkachyk 10, Willie Roche 3, Josh Backer 6, Marc Hotzfield 3, Colt Idol 11, David FauntLeRoy 4.