Lady Bulldogs rally falls short against Polson in play-in

Despite a strong fourth-quarter push, the Whitefish Lady Bulldogs couldn’t overcome an early deficit, falling to the Polson Pirates 38-29 in a Northwest A girls basketball play-in game Thursday evening in Polson. The loss ends Whitefish’s season. 

Polson (7-12) came out strong, while Whitefish couldn’t get their offense clicking. The Pirates built a commanding 21-10 lead by halftime, fueled by nine points each from Aleysia Black and Rylee Taylor-Jefferson. Ahri Rushing added eight points.

Despite Whitefish (4-15) struggling to find an offensive rhythm in the first half, the Lady Bulldogs found better scoring opportunities in the second half.

The third quarter saw Polson extend its lead even further, outscoring Whitefish 15-8 to take a commanding 36-18 advantage heading into the final frame. However, the Bulldogs weren’t ready to go down without a fight. Whitefish tightened up defensively and mounted an impressive fourth-quarter rally, holding Polson to just two points while scoring 11 of their own.

Izze Short led the Bulldogs with six points, while Reese Hudson, Charlize Ullrich, and Carmella Alfieri each added five. Allie Shors contributed four points. The Bulldogs’ late-game effort showed grit and determination, but ultimately, the early deficit proved too much to overcome.

POLSON 38, WHITEFISH 29

Whitefish - 6 - 4 - 8 - 11 - 29

Polson - 12 - 9 - 15 - 2 - 38

WHITEFISH SCORING: Izze Short 6, Reese Hudson 5, Charlize Ullrich 5, Carmella Alfieri 5, Allie Shors 4, Yoli Krastev 2, Stella Frisbee 2.

    Bulldog freshman Vivian Trieweiler Schmidt takes a shot at the varsity basketball game against Bigfork on Feb. 25. (Avery Howe/Bigfork Eagle)