Maidens roll past Lady Loggers

RONAN — After a bit of a bumpy start to the season, the Maidens basketball team took a welcome cruise at home against conference foe Libby on Thursday night. Ronan jumped out big early and rolled to a 63-25 win to even their record at 2-2.

They followed up with a win over Frenchtown on Saturday to improve to 3-2.

Ten Maidens contributed points against Libby. Areanna Burke led the way with 12 points after igniting the Ronan offense early on. Burke hit three quick 3-pointers to give the Maidens an 11-0 lead just three minutes into the game.

The Lady Loggers had a tough time adjusting to Ronan’s press and managed just four points in the first period, which ended with the Maidens up 22-4.

“I thought LaReina (Cordova) got us going on the defensive end, and Areanna hit some shots early on that helped us get going and relax a little bit,” head coach Steve Woll said after the game.

After establishing a comfortable lead, Woll rotated his players liberally the rest of the night.

“We’ve improved a lot,” he said. “We’ve got everyone healthy. We had everyone at practice for two days this week for the first time, and that helps. It also helps with our depth.”

One exception was sophomore Margaret Cordova, who sat out the game with an ankle injury. Junior Danielle Coffman also had a big night on offense with 11 points, while Jaylea Lunceford and Jaeleigh Gatch each contributed eight points.

Sophomores Olivia Heiner (5 points) and Leina Ulutoa (2) also got in on the scoring before the night was through.

“My younger girls are catching on and starting to get some confidence. I’m really happy with them,” Woll said, adding that the team chemistry is working out well.

“They played together, they played hard and they played with heart.”

Ronan 63, Libby 25

Libby 4 - 7 - 7 - 7 – 25

Ronan 22 - 20 - 12 - 9 – 63

LIBBY – Riley Boltz 7, Olivia Gilliam-Smith 6, Taylor Munro 5, Kayley Svendsbye 4, Kinzee Bachmeir 2, Gabby Fantozzi 1.

RONAN – Ari Burke 4 0-0 12, Dani Coffman 5 0-1 11, Jaylea Lunceford 4 0-0 8, Jaeleigh Gatch 4 0-1 8, LaReina Cordova 3 0-2 6, Lexi Wirz 2 0-0 6, Olivia Heiner 2 0-0 5, Haylie Webster 0 3-4 3, Madeline McCrea 2, Leina Ulutoa 2.

3FGs – Libby 1-5 (Boltz 1-2), Ronan 8-15 (A. Burke 4-8, L. Wirz 2-2, Heiner 1-2, Coffman 1-3).

Ronan breaks Broncs late

On Saturday at home against Frenchtown, Areanna Burke again led the Maidens in scoring with 14 points and Ronan pulled away late for the win.

The Broncs took a 15-14 halftime lead and were up by three after three, but the Maidens took over in the fourth, outscoring their visitors 16-7. Jaylea Lunceford recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. LaReina Cordova added six points and five rebounds with four assists, while Jaleigh Gatch finished with five points and four rebounds.

Ronan 41, Frenchtown 35

Frenchtown 8 - 7 - 13 - 7 – 35

Ronan 8 - 6 - 11 - 16 – 41

FRENCHTOWN – Demi Smith 10, Lauren Demmons 8, Cassidy Bagnell 7, Sadie Smith 6, Maddy Eggers 4.

RONAN – Ari Burke 5 2-2 14, Jaylea Lunceford 5 2-2 12, LaReina Cordova 2 0-0 6, Jaleigh Gatch 2 1-4 5, Dani Coffman 2, Olivia Heiner 2, Madeline McCrea, Lexi Wirz.

3FGs – Frenchtown 3-14 (Demmons 2-5, Bagnell 1-1), Ronan 4-21 (L.Cordova 2-4, A.Burke 2-9).