Victories push Chiefs' winning streak to three

As the clock wound down with just seconds remaining and the drawn-up play not panning out, Ronan guard Leonard Burke spun away from Corvallis’ tight coverage and threw up a prayer from beyond the arc.

The Chiefs’ bench ecstatically shot out of their seats as the ball passed through the net and the buzzer simultaneously sounded. Ronan had secured the victory at home on Senior Night over the visiting Corvallis Blue Devils, 47-44.

“Oh Leonard’s shot at the end, that’s the play we always live for and he got one,” Ronan head coach Ron Couture said.

The game got off to a slow start on both sides of the ball, but eventually Corvallis guard Caleb Warnken started sinking baskets. He netted 15 first-half points, which forced Ronan to find an answer.

The Chiefs were able to keep the deficit to only five points going into halftime after Ronan’s Payton Cates came in off the bench bringing intensity on the boards. With impressive rebounding on both ends of the court, he helped give Ronan more time with the ball forcing the Blue Devils to step up defensively. The Chiefs had 13 more scoring opportunities than Corvallis in the second quarter.

“Payton Cates, a sophomore, came in the second quarter and just rebounded the heck out of the ball for us. Kind of saved our bacon in the second quarter,” Couture said.

Ronan came out of the locker room following halftime showing more intensity, and got on an 8-0 scoring streak to take the lead for the first time in the game. However Corvallis forced some key turnovers and was out ahead once again by the end of the third.

“Oh it was back and forth, every time I thought we got a little lead then it changed,” Couture said. “Then they would go down and tie it up. I was just like oh my goodness, we’ve got to get some stops.”

The lead changed hands several times in the fourth quarter, but Ronan’s excellent three-point shooting by both Elijah Tonasket and Burke, as well as a huge inside presence by senior Trey Don’t Mix, kept the two teams neck and neck up until the final seconds.

The victory was especially rewarding for Ronan as it was the team’s final home game and senior night. The school and team honored seniors Trey Don’t Mix and Saul Blackweasel before the game.

“Two seniors that just work their tails off,” Couture said. “It’s a great feeling for me to see them having success, we want them all to have success, just to see them growing.

“Senior year, growing into great young men; I mean they were great young men before I started with them, but now maybe they’re a little greater,” he added with a chuckle.

This game followed another narrow win earlier in the week against Bigfork, Ronan won by three points as well, 58-55. Both games were non-conference competitors, however Couture said any win this time of year is needed.

The Chiefs are starting to get on a roll after winning their last three games, and with the post season quickly approaching there is no time better than the present to be playing good basketball.

“Now that we’re finally hitting shots, teams have to play defense on us,” Couture said. “We’re getting smarter with the ball … So now we’re keeping ourselves in ballgames and this is the time of year we want things to come together, so that’s a great thing.”

Ronan traveled to Columbia Falls this Tuesday for the final game of the season. Those two teams are in the fourth and fifth spot in their conference and will play for an entry into the divisional tournament at Ronan High School coming up the last week of February.

“It would be great to win that game because divisionals is here at home. It would be a really bad taste to not make the tournament at home,” Couture said.

A lot is riding on these final weeks of the season, and Ronan will have the chance this week to determine its own postseason fate.

Reporter Whitney England may be reached at 758-4419 or wengland@dailyinterlake.com