Ronan fires up at Alaska Airlines Classic

Maidens start Anchorage tournament with win

The Ronan Maidens, who had made an enormous effort to win the Alaskan Nets contest and a trip to Alaska, started things off with a bang by picking up a victory.

The Maidens took the lead in the third quarter and held on for an opening 45-40 victory over non-league foe Metlakatla in the Alaska Airlines Classic on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Ronan notched 20 points off turnovers and collected 23 steals in the victory.

The game was knotted 20-20 at halftime, but Ronan maintained a slim lead through most of the second half. Lauryn Buhr and Olivia Heiner each led the Maidens with 10 points. Buhr also had eight rebounds. Margaret Cordova added eight points to Ronan's efforts.

The next day, Buhr notched 17 points, but the Maidens fell 62-43 to Tikigaq on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Jennifer Nash also dished out nine assists in the game.

Tikigaq used a 19-4 run to take command of the game. Leina Ulutoa and Arianna Zepeda each added seven points to Ronan's efforts. Tikigaq was the defending Alaska State Championship for their State 2A Class, comparable to Class C in Montana.

For their third game, Ronan bounced back from a slow start against Alaska's second-largest school but ultimately fell to Alaska's second-biggest school, West Anchorage, 51-42 on Thursday, Jan. 19.

"We tried to prepare our kids about playing bigger schools, but there is always a difference between seeing it and doing it," Woll said. "First, I think we were a little shell-shocked, but we settled down and competed with those bigger teams, and I think that is going to make us better down the road."

Zepeda notched nine points, Heiner had eight points, and Buhr added seven. Buhr also had 11 rebounds in the matchup.

Ronan trailed 19-3 after one quarter but outscored West Anchorage by nine in the second stanza.

RONAN 45, METLAKATLA 40

Ronan - 13 - 7 - 9 - 16 - 45

Metlakatla - 10 - 10 - 5 - 15 - 40

RONAN: Lauryn Buhr 10, Olivia Heiner 10, Margaret Cordova 8, Arianna Zepeda 6, IsaBella Devereaux-Trahan 5, Leina Ulutoa 4, Kylee Kelch 2

TIKIGAQ 62, RONAN 43

Ronan - 11 - 7 - 14 - 11 - 43

Tikigaq - 15 - 19 - 14 - 14 - 62

RONAN: Lauryn Buhr 17; Leina Ulutoa 7; Arianna Zepeda 7; Margaret Cordova 5; Isabella Devereaux-Trahan 4; Olivia Heiner 2; Kylee Kelch 1

WEST ANCHORAGE 51, RONAN 42

Ronan - 3 - 19 - 11 - 9 - 42

WAnch - 19 - 10 - 16 - 6 - 51

RONAN: Arianna Zepeda 9; Olivia Heiner 8; Lauryn Buhr 7; Leina Ulutoa 5; Oceana Arnoux 5; Margaret Cordova 3; Kaydance Santos 2; Isabella Devereaux-Trahan 2

Chiefs triumph in two out of three games

When the boys tournament started up against the second-largest school in Alaska, the Ronan boys put up a spirited fight, falling 65-45 to West Anchorage on Thursday, Jan. 19.

"After our first game against West Anchorage, each player expressed how much fun they had and what moments stuck out during the game," Fish said. "Everyone enjoyed it, and the younger guys expressed how nervous they were to get their number called. That's the fun stuff when you can size yourself up against a player who might be bigger, faster, or stronger and realize you're no different. After you hold your own, your confidence level bumps up, and you can't wait for the next big moment because you know what to expect. I was proud of how hard they played and how well they represented us. "

Laurance Lozeau notched 15 points for the Chiefs, Marlo Tonasket added another nine points, and Ted Coffman had eight.

In their second game of the tournament, Ronan returned to hand Metlakatla a 56-51 defeat on Friday, Jan. 20. Josiah Misa led the team with 17 points, while Marlo Tonasket had 14 in the victory for the Chiefs.

Ronan trailed 23-8 after one quarter but outscored Metlakatla by eight in the second quarter and six points in the third quarter. The Chiefs' defense allowed just 13 points in the second half.

Coffman notched eight points and Jordan Gatch added six points. It was the first game ever won by a Montana team at the Alaska Airlines Classic Tournament.

"I'd like to think this experience [of being in the tournament] made [the team's] brotherhood closer because they didn't have their normal outlets before and after a game," Fish said. "As a coaching staff, we could see the bonding tighten over each day and guys expressing themselves like we haven't seen before."

The final game saw Higley, from Arizona – a school with roughly 2,000 kids, much larger than Ronan's enrollment – grab a first-half advantage that proved too much to overcome. Ronan fell 69-53 on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Coffman led the Chiefs with 16 points, Tonasket added 11, and Misa scored 10.

Higley led 37-20 at the break, and while Ronan's offense picked up in the second half, it couldn't close the deficit. Ronan fell to 4-7 on the year with the loss.

"Preparation [for playing schools much bigger than you] was the same as normal except for reminders they are playing for more than just themselves and Ronan Basketball," Fish said. "They were playing and representing their family, communities, other reservations, and the state of Montana. Not every school gets to play in front of a home crowd and 1,800 students in a state so far away from home."

WEST ANCHORAGE 65, RONAN 45

Ronan - 14 - 8 - 9 - 14 - 45

WAnch - 26 - 12 - 14 - 13 - 65

RONAN: Laurance Lozeau 15; Marlo Tonasket 9; Ted Coffman 8; Josiah Misa 5; Jesse Zepeda 3; Jordan Gatch 3; Robbie McCrea 2

RONAN 56, METLAKATLA 51

Ronan - 8 - 23 - 15 - 10 - 56

Metlak - 23 - 15 - 9 - 4 - 51

RONAN: Josiah Misa 17; Marlo Tonasket 14; Ted Coffman 8; Jordan Gatch 6; Kolby Finley 6; Laurance Lozeau 3; Wade Qualtier 2

HIGLEY 69, RONAN 53

Ronan - 11 - 9 - 19 - 14 - 53

Higley - 19 - 18 - 24 - 8 - 69

RONAN: Ted Coffman 16; Marlo Tonasket 11; Josiah Misa 10; Davonne Curley 5; Kolby Finley 4; Tayen Edmo 3; Sean Small 2; Jordan Gatch 2