STATE TOURNEY RESULTS--DAY 2
March 3, 2012
Northwest Montana A Conference
| FRI., 03-02 |
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| Browning 80 Stevensville 73 |
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Columbia Falls 43 Billings Central 32
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Dillon 56 Laurel 39
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| Livingston 70 Polson 48 |
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CATS V DILLON, AGAIN!
Wildcats return to State A boys' title game
By FRITZ NEIGHBOR of the Missoulian | Posted: Saturday, March 3, 2012 1:45 am |
State A pairings
At Butte Civic Center
Thursday
Laurel 58, Livingston 41
Dillon 47, Polson 27
Columbia Falls 53), Stevensville 36
Billings Central 51, Browning 47
Friday
Livingston 70, Polson 48, loser out
Browning 80, Stevensville 73, loser out
Dillon 56, Laurel 39, semifinal
Columbia Falls 43, Billings Central 32, semifinal
Saturday
9:30 a.m. – Browning (20-2) vs. Laurel (17-5), loser out
11 a.m. – Livingston (17-5) vs. Billings Central (13-9), loser out
6:30 p.m. – morning winners, consolation game
8 p.m. – Dillon (20-2) vs. Columbia Falls (19-3), championship
BUTTE – If you’re wondering how long Columbia Falls could wait to make one of its patented game-changing runs, write this down: 28 and a half minutes.
A 14-1 surge over the final 3:30 carried the defending champion Wildcats back into the State A boys’ basketball championship with a 43-32 win over stubborn Billings Central on Friday.
The Wildcats, 19-3, face 20-2 Dillon at 8 p.m. Saturday inside the Civic Center. Dillon had an easier time with Laurel, winning the first semifinal 56-39 behind 25 points from Wes Knox.
It will be the second straight Beavers-Wildcats final and third in four years. They split the first two.
But to get there the Wildcats had to weather some physical defense and some shaky play, including three straight missed free throws by Austin Barth with the game in the balance.
Luke Kazlauskas and Jared Trinastich stepped in, combining for nine points down the stretch.
“That’s what this team is about,” said Barth, who had eight points and seven rebounds. “We make runs; we stay together. I mean, I didn’t make my free throws but the team picked me up, and they made their free throws.”
Billings Central, 13-9, fell into an 11 a.m. loser-out game with Livingston (17-5), which ousted Polson 70-48 earlier Friday. At 9:30 a.m. Laurel (17-5) takes on Browning (20-2), which eliminated Stevensville 80-73.
Columbia Falls 43, Billings Central 32
A follow dunk from the 6-foot-6 Barth and a bucket from Kazlauskas gave the Wildcats a 12-8 lead after one quarter, but then they stalled against Central’s zone.
“They’re big,” said Barth. “That 6-7 kid (Daniel Meyer) is definitely a force there in the middle. They were just physical; they’re a good team.”
The Rams closed to 17-15 at halftime on Ryan Burke’s fastbreak layup, and went ahead 22-19 on a Jacob Stanton 3-pointer at 5:39 of the third quarter.
The Wildcats wouldn’t lead again until after Barth was hacked on a drive and an intentional foul was called on Central’s Garrett Flaming with 3:20 left in the game.
Barth missed both free throws, but on the ensuing possession Trinastich scored off an inbounds play to put Columbia Falls up 33-31.
A turnover – Matt Correa wreaked havoc at the top of the Wildcats’ defense – led to a Barth-to-Kazlauskas-to-Trinastich layup and a 35-31 lead.
After a Central miss, the Wildcats worked the clock before Parker Johnson made two free throws with 1:08 left. They were on their way: A Kazlauskas layup off a feed from Correa put the Cats up 39-32 with 45 seconds remaining, and they hit four of six free throws from there.
“Luke’s been a great sixth man all year,” Barth said of the junior, who had 13 points. “And Jared’s been getting better each game. He’s only a sophomore. He’s only going to get better.”
Trinastich had six points; Correa had seven points and seven steals.
Burke had 13 points for the Rams.
“They had us on the ropes a little bit, but we woke up just in time,” Columbia Falls coach Cary Finberg said. “The defensive intensity picked up when we needed it to. We have to play better (Saturday) night, but give our kids credit tonight.”
Saturday the Wildcats will gun for their fifth state title, all since 2003, and against a team that has won it all twice in the same span. That includes the Beavers’ 54-50 verdict over Columbia Falls in the 2009 championship.
“Those guys again, huh?” asked Finberg, whose club won last year’s title game 55-43. “They’re a class act, and we feel honored to play those guys because they bring out the best in us. We’re just happy to be back regardless of who we’re playing, but Dillon’s a little special. We’re happy it’s them.”
C. Falls 12 5 8 18 – 43
B. Central 8 7 12 5 – 32
COLUMBIA FALLS – Anthony Correa 2-10 3-6 7, Brian Marcille 0-2 0-0 0, Austin Barth 3-8 2-7 8, Ronny Gallegos 1-3 0-0 2, Parker Johnson 1-6 4-4 7, Alex Presnell 0-2 0-0 0, Luke Kazlauskas 4-7 5-6 13, Jared Trinastitch 3-5 0-0 6. Totals 14-43 14-23 43.
BILLINGS CENTRAL – Ryan Burke 5-15 0-0 13, Dylan Hanser 3-4 0-2 6, Daniel Meyer 3-7 1-2 7, Jacob Stanton 1-6 1-2 4, Bobby Keil 0-3 0-0 0, Garrett Flaming 1-1 0-1 2, Conner Cerkovnik 0-0 0-0 0, Ian Byorth 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-64 2-7 32.
3-pointers – CF 1-9 (Johnson 1-3, Correa 0-2, Kazlauskas 0-2, Marcille 0-1, Presnell 0-1), BC 4-12 (Burke 3-7, Stanton 1-2, Keil 0-2, Hanser 0-1). Rebounds – CF 32 (Correa 7, Barth 7), BC 24 (Meyer 9, Hanser 7, Burke 7). Assists – CF 6 (Correa 2, Kazlauskas 2), BC 9 (Burke 2, Stanton 2, Keil 2). Fouls – CF 14, BC 16. Fouled out – none. Steals – CF 9 (Correa 7), BC 6 (Burke 4). Blocks – CF 2 (Barth 2), BC 4 (Burke 2). Turnovers – CF 11, BC 17.
Dillon 56, Laurel 39
Laurel showed plenty of fight early, with Brett Thompson stealing the ball and then hitting a pull-up 3-pointer to knot the score at 5-5.
Dillon scored the game’s next nine points. Troy Scott got things rolling with a driving layup at 3:38 of the first quarter, and a free throw from Ben Folsom made it 14-5 at 5:14 of the second.
Laurel managed a couple of free throws before six straight points from Knox put the Beavers up 23-7 with 2:00 left in the first half. It was 23-12 at halftime.
The Locomotives cut the deficit to 35-24 on Bryce Herman’s 3-point play at 2:31 of the third quarter and 48-36 on a Herman basket with 3:34 left in the game. Dillon answered each time, usually with Knox, who was 10 for 13 from the floor.
Folsom added 16 points and he and Knox combined to grab 16 boards.
Herman had 10 points for the Locomotives.
Laurel 5 7 15 12 – 39
Dillon 11 12 18 15 – 56
LAUREL – Brett Thompson 3-14 1-2 9, Matt Heidinger 1-5 0-0 3, Shawn Nardella 0-1 3-5 3, Bryce Herman 2-4 2-3 6, Bobby Anderson 2-11 6-6 10, Zac Allen 0-2 0-0 0, Taylor Maida 0-0 0-0 0, Matt Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Dylan Meccage 1-2 0-0 3, Jake Anderson 0-1 0-0 0-, Evan Jones 2-3 0-0 5, Jace Cassidy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-43 12-16 39.
DILLON – Chevy Reed 1-1 1-2 3, Wes Knox 10-13 5-7 25, Austin Williams 0-3 0-0 0, J.T. Linder 2-3 5-6 9, Ben Folsom 4-9 5-6 16, Troy Scott 1-2 1-2 3, Caleb Gillis 0-0 0-0 0, Boyd Jenne 0-1 0-0 0, Austin Schurg 0-0 0-0 0, Todd Southam 0-0 0-0 0, Austin Carver 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-32 17-23 56.
3-point goals – Laurel 5-18 (Thompson 2-6, Heidinger 1-5, Meccage 1-2, Jones 1-2, Nardella 0-1, Herman 0-1, Anderson 0-1), Dillon 3-9 (Folsom 3-5, Williams 0-2, Linder 0-1, Jenne 0-1). Rebounds – Laurel 22 (Nardella 4), Dillon 29 (Knox 9, Folsom 7, Reed 4, Linder 4). Fouls – Laurel 19, Dillon 14. Fouled out – Nardella, Anderson. Assists – Laurel 6 (Anderson 4), Dillon 9 (Reed 4, Williams 4). Steals – Laurel 10 (Thompson 5), Dillon 6 (reed 2, Knox 2). Turnovers – Laurel 16, Dillon 18.
Read more: http://missoulian.com/sports/high-school/boys-basketball/wildcats-return-to-state-a-boys-title-game/article_f8e2a0c4-6508-11e1-83a7-0019bb2963f4.html#ixzz1o4LnjtZH
Wild times for Wildcats
C-Falls pulls away to beat Billings Central in state A semis
Posted: Friday, March 2, 2012 11:45 pm | Updated: 11:51 pm, Fri Mar 2, 2012.
By JOSEPH TERRY The Daily Inter Lake |
BUTTE — It wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t need to be.
The Columbia Falls boys held on in an ugly game to beat Billings Central 43-32 Friday night and move to their second straight Class A state boys basketball title game, and their third in four years.
For the second game in a row, the Wildcats locked down on defense in the final minutes to break a tight game into a big win. This time, the Wildcats closed the game on a 14-1 run in the final four minutes, riding a strong defensive performance to a win.
“Regardless of how it’s done you’ve just got to get it done,” Columbia Falls coach Cary Finberg said.
“They’ve got it done these first two games.”
The end score didn’t show how strong the defense was in the opening half. Neither team scored a field goal for the first five minutes of the game. The Wildcats’ Parker
Johnson hit a pair of free throws early to give Columbia Falls a slight lead, but it wasn’t until Central’s Ryan Burke nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner that either team hit a shot from the floor.
The two teams traded baskets for the final few minutes of the quarter until senior center Austin Barth sparked the Wildcats with a thunderous putback dunk in traffic to give Columbia Falls a 10-8 lead.
On the next trip down the floor, Luke Kazlauskas picked the pocket of Central’s Bobby Keil, sprinting down the floor for an easy layup and giving the Wildcats a 12-8 lead at the end of the first.
At the start of the second, Barth brought the crowd to its feet as he looked to go up for the putback again, but this time flipped the ball behind his head to a wide open Jared Trinastich for a layin to stretch the lead to six.
The offenses stalled for the rest of the quarter, with the Rams switching to a zone defense, stopping all of the Wildcats attempts to get inside. After both teams hit 3s, Central closed the half with a 4-0 run, and trailed just 17-15.
“The lead feet on defense carried over to offense a little bit,” Finberg said.
“We just weren’t moving. In the first half we were settling for a lot of jumpshots and settling for a lot of 3s.”
The Rams took control of the game at the start of the third by dumping the ball down low to its tall postmen.
Central went on a 9-2 run to start the quarter and forced Finberg to call a timeout midway through it after 6-foot-4 forward Dylan Hanser hit an uncontested pullup from the elbow, giving the Rams a 24-19 lead.
“Coach got on (us) about playing defense,” Barth said.
“We definitely took that message to heart and started playing much harder.”
“We weren’t rotating, we were a little slow on our rotations, we weren’t moving our feet,” Finberg said.
“I don’t care who you’re playing, if you give them open looks they’re going to knock them down.
“Give credit to Billings Central, they knocked them down and had us on the ropes a little bit.”
The Wildcats got the message, ripping off four straight points, led by the quick hands of Anthony Correa, who manned the top of the zone, getting in passing lanes and starting the Wildcats on the fast break.
“Anthony was tremendous out front there in our 1-3-1 and caused a lot of problems,” Finberg said.
Columbia Falls trailed just 27-25 after the third quarter, and kept the intensity up on defense.
The teams traded baskets to open the fourth, with Barth starting to work his way back into the offense after being stuck in the zone for two quarters. The big man hit a midrange jumper to tie the score at 29 as the Wildcats started to get the ball to the post.
Trailing 31-29 with four minutes to play, Columbia Falls made its move. The Wildcats started to force their way through the zone, getting fouled on back-to-back trips down the court. After missing the front end of the first try, Kazlauskas tied the score with a pair of his own.
Trinastich popped open for a layup off an inbounds under the basket to take the lead back, then got the ball again in the post one possession later, hitting another layin to give the Wildcats a 35-31 edge.
With a stop on the other end, the Wildcats held the ball on the next trip down, playing keep away from the Rams for nearly a minute. When they finally fouled Johnson with 1:08 to play, the senior calmly put the game away, sinking two free throws to give the Wildcats a six-point advantage.
“They’re a quality team,” Finberg said. “You don’t get to this point without doing something right. They did a lot right. Fortunately for us, our kids gutted it out. It’s just a matter of finding a switch there. Once we’ve got it turned on there’s no looking back.”
Kazlauskas scored a game-high 13 points to lead the Wildcats. Burke also scored 13 for Central.
Columbia Falls moves on to play Dillon in the championship game, a rematch of last year’s final. This is the third time in four seasons the two teams have met for the Class A title.
“Those guys again, huh?,” Finberg said.
“They’re a class act. We feel honored to play those guys because they bring out the best in us. We’re just happy to be back there regardless of who we’re playing, but Dillon’s a little special. So we’re happy it’s them.”
The Beavers beat Laurel 56-39 in the other semifinal.
“Tomorrow we’re going to have to play more of the four quarters,” Finberg said. “Dillon is a quality team. If we don’t play better tomorrow, it’s going to be a long night.”
COLUMBIA FALLS (19-3) – Anthony Correa 2-10 3-6 7, Brian Marcille 0-2 0-0 0, Austin Barth 3-8 2-7 8, Ronny Gallegos 1-3 0-0 2, Parker Johnsno 1-6 4-4 7, Alex Presnell 0-2 0-0 0, Luke Kazlauskas 4-7 5-6 13, Jared Trinastitch 3-5 0-0 6. Totals 14-43 14-23 43.
BILLINGS CENTRAL (13-9) – Ryan Burke 5-15 0-0 13, Dylan Hanser 3-4 0-2 6, Daniel Meyer 3-7 1-2 7, Jacob Stanton 1-6 1-2 4, Bobby Keil 0-3 0-0 0, Garrett Flaming 1-1 0-1 2, Conner Cerkovnik 0-0 0-0 0, Ian Byorth 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-64 2-7 32.
Columbia Falls 12 5 8 18 — 43
Billings Central 8 7 12 5 — 32
3-pointers – CF 1-9 (Johnson 1-3, Correa 0-2, Kazlauskas 0-2, Marcille 0-1, Presnell 0-1), BC 4-12 (Burke 3-7, Stanton 1-2, Keil 0-2, Hanser 0-1). Rebounds – CF 32 (Correa 7, Barth 7), BC 24 (Meyer 9, Hanser 7, Burke 7). Assists – CF 6 (Correa 2, Kazlauskas 2), BC 9 (Burke 2, Stanton 2, Keil 2). Fouls – CF 14, BC 16. Fouled out – none. Technicals – none. Steals – CF 9 (Correa 7), BC 6 (Burke 4). Blocks – CF 2 (Barth 2), BC 4 (Burke 2). Turnovers – CF 11, BC 17.
Dillon 56, Laurel 39
LAUREL (17-5) – Brett Thompson 3-14 1-2 9, Matt Heidinger 1-5 0-0 3, Shawn Nardella 0-1 3-5 3, Bryce Herman 2-4 2-3 6, Bobby Anderson 2-11 6-6 10, Zac Allen 0-2 0-0 0, Taylor Maida 0-0 0-0 0, Matt Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Dylan Meccage 1-2 0-0 3, Jake Anderson 0-1 0-0 0-, Evan Jones 2-3 0-0 5, Jace Cassidy 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-43 12-16 39.
DILLON (20-2) – Chevy Reed 1-1 1-2 3, Wes Knox 10-13 5-7 25, Austin Williams 0-3 0-0 0, J.T. Linder 2-3 5-6 9, Ben Folsom 4-9 5-6 16, Troy Scott 1-2 1-2 3, Caleb Gillis 0-0 0-0 0, Boyd Jenne 0-1 0-0 0, Austin Schurg 0-0 0-0 0, Todd Southam 0-0 0-0 0, Austin Carver 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-32 17-23 56.
Laurel 5 7 15 12 — 39
Dillon 11 12 18 15 — 56
3-point goals – Laurel 5-18 (Thompson 2-6, Heidinger 1-5, Meccage 1-2, Jones 1-2, Nardella 0-1, Herman 0-1, Anderson 0-1), Dillon 3-9 (Folsom 3-5, Williams 0-2, Linder 0-1, Jenne 0-1). Rebounds – Laurel 22 (Nardella 4), Dillon 29 (Knox 9, Folsom 7, Reed 4, Linder 4). Assists – Laurel 6 (Anderson 4), Dillon 9 (Reed 4, Williams 4). Steals – Laurel 10 (Thompson 5), Dillon 6 (reed 2, Knox 2). Turnovers – Laurel 16, Dillon 18. Fouls – Laurel 19, Dillon 14. Fouled out – Nardella, Anderson. Technicals – none.
Laurel, Billings Central knocked out of State A semifinals
By GREG RACHAC grachac@billingsgazette.com | Posted: Friday, March 2, 2012 10:42 pm |
BUTTE -- They could taste it.
Billings Central came tantalizingly close to a berth in the state championship game Friday night, but the Rams saw their opportunity slip away in a 43-32 loss to Columbia Falls in the semifinals of the State A boys basketball tournament at the Civic Center.
Laurel was also in search of a berth in the title game, but it could not account for Dillon's distinct size advantage -- or its smothering zone defense -- in a 56-39 semifinal loss to the Beavers. The Locomotives hoped to advance to their second state championship game in the last three years, but instead Dillon will play four its fourth title since 1999.
Central and Laurel both fell into Saturday loser-out games.
Columbia Falls earned the chance to defend its title against Dillon. The Wildcats and Beavers will meet in the championship game for the third time in the last four seasons.
Dillon defeated Columbia Falls for the title in 2009, but the Wildcats got revenge with a 55-43 victory a year ago in Bozeman. The championship game tips off Saturday at 8 p.m.
Columbia Falls 43, Billings Central 32
Central led for most of the second half against the Wildcats, building a four-point advantage when Ryan Burke drilled a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:49 remaining in the third quarter.
The Rams (13-9) clung to the lead through the fourth quarter -- until consecutive turnovers in the backcourt allowed Columbia Falls to take the lead for good.
On one such occasion the Wildcats got a run-out toward an easy basket before Central's Garrett Flaming was whistled for an intentional foul against the Wildcats' Austin Barth.
Barth missed both free throws, but his team got the ball back as a result of the foul, and Jared Trinastich scored on an inbound play to break a 31-31 tie with 3:16 remaining.
Trinastich quickly scored again on another Rams turnover, and the Wildcats held a four-point lead. From there, the defending champs were able to bleed the clock.
"The credit goes to Columbia Falls," said fifth-year Central coach Shel Hanser. "They've been there before. They know how to win a game like that. They made some shots and took care of the basketball, and they closed it out.
"It's crazy. It always comes down to the little things, one or two possessions. And that's where we were in this one again. But I'm proud of our kids. There's a lot of fight in them."
Central's zone defense, coupled with the interior defense of Daniel Meyer, flummoxed Barth. The 6-foot-6 quarterback recruit for Montana State finished with eight points on 3 of 8 shooting. But Columbia Falls got important contributions from Trinastich and Luke Kazlauskas, who combined to score 19 points off the bench.
"That's what this team is about," said Barth, who played with three fouls throughout the second half. "We make runs, we stay together. And we came together and won it."
Of Kazlauskas and Trinastich, Barth said "they're great coming off the bench. Luke's been a great sixth man all year, and Jared's just getting better each game."
The Wildcats look to win their fifth state title since 2003. The Rams, whose only state championship came in 1996, will face Livingston (17-5) in a loser-out game beginning at 11 a.m.
Burke led Central with 13 points and seven rebounds. Meyer and Dylan Hanser pulled down nine and seven boards, respectively.
Dillon 56, Laurel 39
Locomotives coach Pat Hansen pegged Dillon as his pre-tournament favorite to win the championship, and he saw nothing that could change his mind after the loss to the Beavers.
"They really played like they'd been here before," Hansen said. "I think they used their experience and used it well. You've got to give them credit. They came out and used every aspect -- physical and mental. They played very well."
The Locomotives (17-5) had no answer for 6-foot-4 senior Wes Knox, the Beavers' relentless inside presence. Knox dominated the paint, scoring 25 points and grabbing nine rebounds to help send Dillon (20-2) to its second consecutive championship game appearance.
The Beavers' game-plan revolved around Knox.
"I was just trying to get open," said Knox, who was inadvertently elbowed in the jaw during a scramble for a loose ball early in the game. "My teammates were doing a good job of getting me the ball.
"It feels really, really good to be back in the championship. We'll try to redeem ourselves from last year."
Knox took over during the second quarter when he converted baskets on three straight possessions to open a 16-point lead for Dillon. One of those was a banked-in runner at the 2:23 mark.
Defensively, Knox was positioned at the top of Dillon's 1-3-1 half-court zone defense, which flustered Laurel point guard Bobby Anderson and the rest of the Locomotives' backcourt.
Laurel struggled to find a remedy on offense, suffering through an 11 minute, 12 second stretch without a field goal in the first half. The Locomotives made just 2 of 19 shots in the opening 16 minutes.
"We were back on our heels to start with," Hansen said. "They really had us stretched away from the basket, and any time we felt like we had a good look on the perimeter, they'd close real quick and be on top of us. They were just a very, very tough matchup for us."
Junior guard Ben Folsom added three 3-pointers and 16 points for Dillon. Anderson scored 10 points to lead the Locomotives. Brett Thompson added nine.
Laurel will play Browning (20-2) in a loser-out game at 9:30 a.m.
Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/schools/a/laurel/laurel-billings-central-knocked-out-of-state-a-semifinals/article_5e96b93e-e715-5db6-b583-14fb33f6925c.html#ixzz1o1y82nFz
Offensive woes eliminate Polson at Class A state basketball tourney
Posted: Friday, March 2, 2012 8:43 pm
By JOSEPH TERRY The Daily Inter Lake |
BUTTE — The Polson boys struggle to score cost them again.
The Pirates shot just 28 percent against Livingston on Friday in the first loser-out game at the Class A state boys basketball tournament, losing 70-48.
“That’s been our problem the whole second half of the season,” Polson coach Brad Pluff said. “We just haven’t shot the ball well and it carried through to the state tournament.”
The Pirates scrapped with Livingston for the first quarter, going shot for shot with the Rangers for the first six minutes. Early scores by Zack Camel and Cody Fischer tied the game at 4-4.
After a pair of free throws gave Livingston the lead, Vince DiGiallonardo evened the score again with a smooth drive to his left for a layup in traffic. Later, Will Davey answered a Rangers bucket by stealing the ball and running back with the breakaway layin, tying it at 8-8.
But the Pirates offense couldn’t play catch up all game. Livingston scored five points in the last two minutes to close the first quarter with a 13-8 lead.
After trading buckets to start the second, the Rangers made their run.
Livingston scored seven points in less than a minute to turn a 15-12 advantage into a 10-point lead. A minute and two Polson baskets later, they did it again, scoring seven straight points to lead 29-16. The Rangers kept pushing, scoring their last 10 points of the half in transition and taking a 37-20 lead into the break.
The scoring gap got even bigger with Livingston opening up the third quarter with two 3-pointers. Camel answered the second with a 3 for Polson, but the Pirates couldn’t get enough stops to stay in the game.
“We got our butt kicked in all facets of the game today,” Pluff said. “They’ve got a good team. Give them credit. I don’t feel like we played well but they had a lot to do with that.”
Fischer and DiGiallonardo, both seniors playing in their last game, led the Pirates with 11 points each. Riley Sampson had a game-high 12 rebounds.
“It’s tough and I feel sorry for the seniors,” Pluff said.
“I’ve coached Vince since he was in fourth grade little guy football. I’ve watched him grow up. I wished it could have gone a little better for him and the other two seniors.
“It is what is. If you can’t shoot the ball you can’t win.”
Dallas Lussier scored 16 points to lead the Rangers, who had three scorers in double digits. Livingston will play in the consolation semifinals today at 11 a.m.
Polson finished the season with a 10-13 record after losing both games in the tournament.
“Everybody here’s good and you have to show up with your best game to beat them,” Pluff said. “We didn’t.”
In the other loser-out game Friday, Browning beat Stevensville 80-73.
POLSON (10-14) – Ian Laimbeer 1-7 0-0 3, Cody Fischer 3-10 4-4 11, Riley Sampson 3-6 0-0 6, Vince DiGiallonardo 4-12 3-5 11, Zack Camel 3-16 0-0 7, Will Davey 3-5 0-0 6, Dylan Kelley 0-0 0-0 0, Br0ady Hislop 0-3 0-0 0, Cedrick Smith 1-1 2-2 4, Hayden Congdon 0-4 0-0 0, Eric Williamson 0-0 0-0 0, Quinn Harlan 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-65 9-22 48.
LIVINGSTON (17-5) – Braeden Greathouse 3-4 7-8 14, Landon Willyerd 3-7 3-4 9, Marcus Payne 3-6 2-3 8, Decker Wilson 4-11 0-0 10, Dallas Lussier 7-18 1-2 16, Orlan Peckenpaugh 0-1 0-0 0, Scott Wilson 0-2 1-2 1, Kevin Iokot 3-6 1-3 7, Mike Severson 0-1 0-0 0, Jesse Darr 1-3 3-6 5, Chance Zahn 0-1 0-0 0, Colton Gavne 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-60 18-28 70.
Polson 8 12 14 14 — 48
Livingston 13 24 23 10 — 70
3-point goals – Polson 3-16 (Camel 1-4, Fisher 1-4, Laimbeer 1-2, Hislop 0-1, Congdon 0-1), Livingston 4-9 (Wilson 2-4, Lussier 1-2, Greathouse 1-1, Willyerd 0-1, Payne 0-1). Rebounds – Polson 43 (Sampson 12), Livingston 48 (Payne 11, Lussier 10). Assists – Polson 4 (DiGiallonardo 2), Livingston 10 (Greathouse 3, Payne 3). Steals – Polson 8 (DiGiallonardo 2, Camel 2), Livingston 9 (Greathouse 2, Payne 2, Wilson 2). Blocks – Polson 3 (Sampson, Camel, Davey), Livingston 3 (Lussier, Severson, Darr). Turnovers – Polson 16, Livingston 15. Fouls – Polson 18, Livingston 13. Fouled out – none. Technicals – none.
Browning 80, Stevensville 73
BROWNING (20-2) — Jonathan Hall 3-6 1-2 7, Gary Monroe 6-11 0-1 15, Cliff Ollinger 4-6 0-0 8, Josiah Davis 4-9 2-2 10, Dee Jay Lazy Boy 9-17 1-3 24, Kurt Red Crow 0-1 0-0 0, Jonathan Skunkap 1-4 1-2 4, Jaron Calf Robe 1-4 1-3 3, Vince Omeasoo 0-1 0-2 0, Quintin Morgan 0-0 0-0 0, Jalen Croff 0-0 0-0 0, Daniel Hall 4-5 1-1 9. Totals 32-64 7-16 80.
STEVENSVILLE (18-5) — Zach Gavlak 6-8 6-11 18, Jesse Sims 5-11 5-10 15, Jared Schultz 3-11 0-0 8, Josh Schultz 8-21 3-5 25, Tyler Gavlak 2-5 0-0 5, Josh Lords 0-0 0-0 0, Austin Kelling 0-0 0-0 0, Austin Lords 0-1 2-4 2. Totals 24-57 16-30 73.
Browning 27 11 17 25 — 80
Stevensville 8 28 25 12 — 73
3-pointers — Browning 9-23 (Lazy Boy 5-10, Monroe 3-6, Skunkcap 1-2, Davis 0-4, Colf Robe 0-1), Stevensville 9-28 (Josh Schultz 6-18, Jared Schultz 2-7, T. Gavlak 1-3). Rebounds — Browning 39 (Hall 13), Stevensville 34 (Z. Gavlak 8, Josh Schultz 8). Assists — Browning 24 (Davis 14), Stevensville 14 (Jared Schultz 6). Fouls — Browning 18, Stevensville 17. Fouled out — Zach Gavlak, Sims. Technicals — Stevensville (bench). Steals — Browning 4 (Hall, Ollinger, Lazy Boy, Calf Robe), Stevensville 7 (Jared Schultz 2, Josh Schultz 2, T. Gavlak 2). Blocks — Browning 2 (Monroe, Hall), Stevensville 3 (Z. Gavlak 2). Turnovers — Browning 12, Stevensville 12.
