by Scott Sacry
The Hamilton boys and girls basketball teams hosted Polson on Saturday, January 4th. The girls played first and Hamilton lost 38-42. Then the boys capped off the night as the Broncs defeated the Pirates 63-43.
In the girls game, Hamilton led 10-5 after one quarter, 17-15 at halftime, and the score was tied 28-28 going into the final quarter.
The Lady Broncs looked to be in control of the game and led 34-31 with six minutes left in the game. They then went cold down the stretch and were outscored 4-11 to finish the game, losing 38-42 in a game that could have gone either way.
For Hamilton, Ella Griffin led the scoring with 11 points, Ashlynn McKern had a solid game with 10, Annalise Lewis had 7, Meryn Leonardi had 5, Bryn Cianflone had 3, and Loretta Hanson added 2.
In the boys game, Hamilton controlled the game throughout and won comfortably 63-43. The Broncs jumped out to a 15-8 first quarter lead and were up 28-15 at halftime and cruised to a 20-point victory.
Canaan Magness and Tyler Jette led the way for Hamilton. Magness scored 22 points, and added 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Jette had 17 points with a team-high 13 rebounds and 5 assists. Landen Wetzel had a solid game with 11 points, making three 3-pointers, and a hustling Kaden Gum had 8 rebounds.
Hamilton’s defense held Polson to 34% shooting on the game, while Hamilton shot 50%. The Broncs controlled the glass, out rebounding the Pirates 38-19.