Lady Dogs meet Polson in divisional tourney

The Whitefish girls basketball team was held without a field goal in a tough 46-14 loss Saturday at Polson.

The Lady Dogs were scoreless in the first quarter and posted just five points in the second half.

Katie Fyall led with six points. Haley Nicholson added five.

The Dogs were playing without senior standout Simone Craft who was held out after suffering a concussion Feb. 22 in a game against Columbia Falls.

With the loss, Whitefish (0-8, 1-17) will be the No. 5 seed at the Northwest A divisional tournament. They open against No. 4 Polson on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Craft is expected to be ready for the tournament.

“We’re looking forward to Simone coming back,” Whitefish coach Clint Peters said. “She’s our scoring leader and it all starts with her on the floor.”

Whitefish has lost both of its games with Polson this season. Peters says his team will need to find a way to shut down the Lady Pirates post game.

“They look to score inside first,” he said. “We have to make sure we take them out of the game and force them to take outside shots.”

As for Whitefish, the ball simply needs to go in the hoop, Peters said.

“We have to get people to step up and play the role of a scorer,” he said.

Despite the winless conference record, Peters says his team is still fighting.

“No one has quit in practice or games,” he said. “We’re working hard. There are small details we need to work on, but there is no lack of effort.”

Columbia Falls earned the No. 1 seed, Frenchtown is No. 2 and Libby No. 3.

Peters says the Wildkats are the clear favorite.

“They’re rated No. 1 for a reason,” he said. “They’re the top dog everyone is looking to take down.”

Frenchtown is also formidable with athletic guards and a strong post game.

Peters says Whitefish, Polson and Libby are evenly matched.

“All three can compete with each other,” he said.

“We have every chance to compete with Polson.”

All games are at Glacier High School in Kalispell.

Whitefish 0 9 3 2 – 14

Polson 14 12 8 12 – 46

WHITEFISH – Allie Schultz 1, Katie Fyall 6, Haley Nicholson 5, Cevana Laashe 1.

POLSON – Skyla Krantz 4, Lydia Dupuis 2, Jaylin Kenney 5, Jessica Bagnell 12, Nichole Lake 6, Dylan Quinn 2, Monika Frame 9, Peyton Anderson 3, Lauren Lefthand 3.