Maidens making progress with team chemistry

Ronan High School coach Steve Woll is big on cultivating team chemistry throughout the season, and he knows his young team still hasn’t reached their current peak level.

The difference in the Maidens showcased in their team’s performance against Browning and Libby.

Ronan lost both of the games, but the margin of defeat between the two games was drastic. The Maidens lost 65-31 to the Indians and 36-31 to Libby. The turnaround was simple, according to coach Woll, who discussed it with his team.

“We are getting a little bit better every day,” Woll said. “After the Browning game, we had a little come-to-earth talk. We discussed the name on the front of our jerseys, talked about playing together as a team and playing team defense and team offense. The girls did a great job responding on Saturday.”

Pitted against a very tall and skilled Lady Loggers team, Ronan proved to be formidable playing against a team some predict could compete for an MHSA state tournament spot.

“They all stepped up their game,” Woll said. “We all took turns, and (our team) just focused. Hopefully, we can continue that.” Woll cited the play and performance of Tianna Ulatoa.

“Ultra settled us down,” Woll said. “On the offensive end, I thought she did a great job, and she was able to get us in the right spot. It was just a team effort to get everyone in the right spot running the offense.”

Before the break, the Maidens will take on Hamilton and conference opponent Columbia Falls.

“Every night is a dogfight in our District,” Woll said. “You can’t count anyone out in this District.”

Libby 36, Ronan 31

Ronan (0-2, 1-3), Libby (2-0, 5-0)

Ronan 8 8 12 3 – 31*

Libby 5 18 7 6 – 36

RONAN – Jaylea Lunceford 4 1-2 9(12r,1a,1s,1b), Tiana Ulutoa 3 2-6 8(2r,3a,3s), Jaeleigh Gatch 2 2-3 6(4r,2a), Kieauna DeRoche 1 2-2 5(4r), Hannah Moss *3(2r), Aislyn Baker 0(3r), Madison Clairmont 0(1r,2a,2s,1b), Madeline McCrea 0(3r,2s), Regan Clairmont 0(1r).

LIBBY – Jayden Winslow 21, McKenzie Profitt 7, Alli Collins 4, Sammee Bradeen 2, Emma Gruber 2, tmL(24r,6a,7s,2b).

3FGs – R2-12 (DeRoche 1-1, Moss), L3-12 (Winslow 3-9). (Sa15Dec18)

Asterisk (*) denotes stat variant(s) where sideline specs differ from film review: (3Q11p)H.Moss 2p = R30p

Browning 63, Ronan 35

Ronan (0-1, 1-2), Browning (1-0, 3-0)

Ronan 5 7 9 14 – 35

Browning 9 16 21 17 – 63

RONAN – Jaylea Lunceford 6 2-3 14(12r,1a), Tiana Ulutoa 4 2-6 11(2r,1a,6s), Hannah Moss 1 2-4 4(1r,1s), Madison Clairmont 1 0-1 3(4r,1a,3s), Madeline McCrea 1 0-1 2(6r,1a), Jaeleigh Gatch 1(7r,1a,1s), Regan Clairmont 0(3r,1a,2s), Kieauna DeRoche 0(1r), Aislyn Baker 0(2r).

BROWNING – Dulci Skunkcap 17, Danaiya Polk 9, Veronica Reed 8, Walker RunningCrane 7, Chalissa Kipp 5, Tatum RunningCrane 5, Caelin Guardipee 4, Tamika Guardipee 3, Kelsey Madplume 3, Chaslin Kipp 2, tmB(40r,13a,19s,3b).

3FG – R2-14(Ulutoa 1-2, M.Clairmont 1-2), B4-20 (Reed 2-3, Polk 1-2, T.RunningCrane 1-6). (Fr14Dec18)

— John Heglie contributed to this article.