In an important conference contest, Polk played well in the first half against Madison going down

by only 2 points at the half, but lost the effort in the third quarter.

Madison outscored the Wolverines 26-9 in the third quarter and 44 -22 in the second half, resulting in a 72 -48 win for the Patriots.

Coach Josh McEntire said he is still trying to figure out his team’s pattern of falling into a third-quarter slump.

“The third quarter is just our worst quarter; I’ve tried several different things (to break that pattern). I tried coming in real quick saying what our adjustments are quickly and coming (back) out quick,” McEntire said. “I’ve tried keeping them in longer, not talking to them for a few minutes. I’ve tried coming in and giving the long speech. I’ve tried several different things at halftime to get us going in the third quarter.”

Coach McEntire said turnovers and foul trouble were the main reason Polk fell behind this time.

Earlier in the season Polk had played Madison close, losing by only 4 points, 41-37. The team hoped a win against Madison this time would get them back on the winning track in conference. Polk improved their scoring by 11 points from the previous game but their defense allowed 31 more points. Polk was lead in scoring by Jamal Tanner who had 18 points, six assists and five steals. Jordan Smith, meanwhile, had 11 points and six rebounds.

Game stats

Madison 72, Polk County 48

Polk County: 10;16;9;13 – 48

Madison: 19; 9;26;18 – 72

Polk – Tanner 18, Jordan Smith 10, Stockdale 9, Miller 5, Philpott 2, Yoder 2, Hines 1 and Chody 1

Records: Polk, 7-11, 3-5 WHC. Polk played Mountain Heritage at home last night. Look for results in Tuesday’s edition.