Polk County Middle's Keyan Simpson had five points in Thursday's game at Rugby

Polk Middle boys play ‘best game’ in season-ending loss at Rugby

January 20, 2023

It wasn’t the season that Polk County Middle’s boys basketball team hoped to have.

But the Wolverines never stopped learning or battling, as Thursday’s regular-season finale showed.

Polk Middle never let a talented Rugby Middle team fully pull away, finally dropping a 36-24 decision at Rugby.

Polk ends its season with an 0-12 record. Rugby finished 9-3 and will advance to the Blue Ridge Conference postseason tournament as the second seed from the East Division.

How it happened: The Wolverines trailed just 20-13 at halftime, but Rugby put together a 12-2 run in the third period to grab a 32-15 advantage.

Polk’s David Duffy had eight points in the fourth quarter as the Wolverines fought back to within the final margin.

Scoring: Duffy led Polk with 10 points, with Keyan Simpson scoring five. Gage Harden and Nate Fagan each added three points, Brody Wilkins had two and Luke Garrison added a point.

Quoteworthy: “We played our best game of the season in our last game. The kids connected with one another on the court and made adjustments when needed.” – Polk Middle head coach Brad Muse.