Ronan ends losing streak with three wins

With convincing wins against Mission on Friday, Hamilton on Saturday, and Polson on Tuesday, the Ronan Chiefs officially shook off the shackles of a 23-game losing streak, and in doing so, served notice that they are a team on the rise.

"It's pretty incredible," said head coach John Hollow. "We lose 23 games in a row and then win three huge games in a row. I am just really happy for our kids. They've worked so hard to get to this point."

The win against Polson was the crowning achievement on a string of wins that can best be described as uplifting. It was a back and forth game early, with both teams playing tight defense and going into the half tied 20-20. In the second half, the Chiefs exploded on offense, outscoring the Pirates 41-22 in the second half and taking home a 61-42 win in front of an ecstatic crowd at the Ronan Event Center.

"Our guys played out of their minds in the second half," said Hollow. "I think we shot somewhere around 24 of 30 from the field in the second half."

Despite the offensive outburst, Hollow credited the win to the Chiefs' defense, a defense that so far this year has held three of it's four opponents under 50 points. "Your going to win a lot of games playing defense like that," said Hollow.

The Chiefs finished with three players in double figures. Mike Fisher led the way, dropping 18 points on the Pirates, many of which came in the second half. Moss Tanner had 14 points, Cameron Barber scored 10 points, and Gene Adams added six points. Jordan St. Clair added five points in the effort.

"These wins are great for us because it gave us that confidence you need," commented Hollow. "Getting the first win is always the hardest, and now that we've got it, we can really move forward."

The Chiefs scored their first victory of the season on Friday against the previously undefeated Mission Bulldogs. The Chiefs came out fast, and spearheaded by a tenacious defense they jumped out to a 10-2 lead after the first quarter. Continuing the pressure, the Chiefs employed a full court press for much of the game, taking advantage of their superior speed and athleticism, and forcing Mission into 14 turnovers in the first half and 27 for the game. The game stayed close until the forth quarter, when Ronan turned up the pressure and outscored Mission 18-11, sealing the victory by a final score of 51-38.

"It wasn't the nicest looking win," said Hollow. "But we were really able to take advantage of our athleticism and score some points off turnovers."

Cameron Barber ended up being the difference maker against the Bulldogs, rattling home 14 of his game-high 19 points in the second half and snatching 13 rebounds.

"Cameron dominated in the second half," said Hollow. "It was fun to watch."

Moss Tanner also dropped a double-double on the Dogs', with 13 points and 10 boards. Nolan Harris had 10 points, Gene Adams had three points, and MaKenzy Kelch and Billy Antoine had two points each. Jordan St. Clair scored two points, but he really made his presence known with 10 rebounds, four steals and two assists, as well as setting the tone on defense.

"Moss and Jordan came up big for us," commented Hollow.

Tanner and Harris both had some big 3-point shots for the team, and Tanner really came alive in the latter half to help lead the team, too.

The team took full advantage of the momentum they gained against Mission and carried it into their game against Hamilton on Saturday, Dec. 16. The Chiefs once again found their success through their defense, employing a half court trap that ended up causing 27 turnovers in the game. They also had three players score in double figures.

"I think we had around 30 points just from lay-ups," said Hollow on the game against Hamilton. "When you score that many points on lay-ups, you know you're doing something right on defense."

The Chiefs took complete control of a fairly tight game in the third quarter, as they outscored the suddenly sluggish Broncos 26-7, and went on to win, 74-52. Cameron Barber put the most ink on the stat page, grabbing yet another double-double, and finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, three assists and two blocked shots. Moss Tanner led the team in scoring with 15 points and added two assists. Gene Adams had 11 points and two assists, Jordan St. Claire and Nolan Harris had nine points each, and Billy Antoine had seven points. Makenzy Kelch had only two points, but added two steals and four assists.

"We had a total team effort against Hamilton," said Hollow. "Lots of guys stepped up for us and played great."

Hollow said that he has been most impressed with his team's defensive ability and stressed the need to continue that trend over the next week, as they take on tough conference opponents.

"In four of our games we've held the opposition under 50 points," he said. "We're going to need to keep that up if we want to continue to be successful."