Ronan Chiefs advance in Western A Divisional

The Chiefs advanced past the play-in stage of the Western A Divisional Tournament, downing Whitefish 52-35 on Saturday, Feb. 18, in Polson.

“Our conference is tough top to bottom, and nothing is a sure thing,” Ronan Head Coach George Sherwood said, expressing his relief. “The two play-in games were battles for us, and both of those coaches had their guys ready.”

“Making it to Divisionals is accomplishing another one of our goals we established for ourselves this year,” he said. “I am just excited that my guys get to continue dancing.”

The game went back and forth, with Ronan leading 12-7 early but the Bulldogs battling back and leading 19-18 at halftime. Ronan took a three-point lead in the third quarter and then finished the game on a 20-6 run for the victory.

Marlo Tonasket scored all his team-leading 14 points in that final run, while Ted Coffman added nine points and Kolby Finley had eight, including two three-pointers.

Sherwood said that defense was key in this run, saying his team was patient and believed in the offensive opportunities they were setting up.

“Marlo has been on a minute restriction for us because of his ankle, so I channeled my inner baseball manager and used him like a dominant closer coming in at the bottom of the ninth,” Sherwood said. “He is one of those unstoppable forces or unmovable objects, or however it goes.”

Ronan improved its record to 12-8 on the year and will play Hamilton in the Western A Divisional opener in Butte.

“We started out strong and then had to deal with some nasty flu lingering around and some ankle injuries to some key players,” Sherwood said. “These last two weeks, however, we are flu-free, and our ankles are getting better by the day. We seem to be getting back to our old selves and hitting our stride when it matters most.”

Going into Divisionals, Sherwood said he believes the team will need to focus on playing defense, limiting turnovers, rebounding, and playing Chiefs basketball.

“This tournament is loaded with tons of talented teams and coaches, so to finish top four, you will need to be skilled,” Sherwood said. “You will need to execute when it matters, and you will need a little luck.”

Sherwood also wanted to thank the players for treating him so well and allowing “me to be me.”

“I also want to thank the parents for having patience as they support me through my first year coaching,” Sherwood said. “Thank you, community, for rallying behind us through a long season full of ups and downs, my coaching staff for being the best supporters and advice givers I could ask for, and the administration for wanting the best for the kids.”

At Polson

RONAN 52, WHITEFISH 35

Whitefish - 7 - 12 - 10 - 6 - 35

Ronan - 12 - 6 - 14 - 20 - 52

RONAN SCORING - Marlo Tonasket 14, Ted Coffman 9, Kolby Finley 8, Laurance Lozeau 6, DaVonne Curley 4, Josiah Misa 3

Ronan topples Loggers too

Ronan opened play-in action Feb. 15, downing Libby 73-44. Kolby Finley led the Chiefs with 16 points as Ronan won its 11th game of the season.

Facing the three-win Loggers, Ronan gained a 19-11 advantage in the first quarter and added five more points to their lead in the second for a 35-22 halftime lead. After gaining another bucket on their lead in the third, the Chiefs finished out the game on a 26-12 run. Jean Small added 12 points to Ronan’s total as did Donovann Curley. Wade Qualtier had ten points.

At Ronan

RONAN 73, LIBBY 44

Libby - 11 - 11 - 10 - 12 - 44

Ronan - 19 - 16 - 12 - 26 - 73

RONAN SCORING - Kolby Finley 16, Jean Small 12, Donovann Curley 12, Wade Qualtier 10, Rayen Edmo 8, Laurance Lozeau 6, Ted Coffman 4, Trey Samsel 3, Chad Higgins 2

Polson ends season with two losses to Whitefish

Polson dropped their final Northwest A Conference game of the year, a make-up road game against Whitefish, which the Bulldogs won 61-45 on Tuesday, Feb. 13. The two teams clashed again again last Thursday, with Whitefish prevailing again in a 53-42 victory during the Western A Divisional play-in round on Thursday, Feb. 15.

Both games were played in Whitefish.

The Pirates trailed 29-24 at halftime during last Tuesday’s game, and the Bulldogs opened up the second half on a 12-6 run.

Anthony Lichtenberg led Polson with 14 points, while Jesse Vail and Maddox Bird each added six points. Polson finished the regular season with a 1-12 conference record.

Lichtenberg again led the Pirates during the play-in game with 18 points. Polson trailed by nine in the first quarter and 28-19 at halftime.

Brenden Griffin added 11 points to Polson’s efforts. The Pirates finished their season with a 2-17 record and a 1-12 conference mark.

Thursday, Feb. 15

WHITEFISH 53, POLSON 42

Polson - 7 - 12 - 12 - 11 - 42

W-Fish - 16 - 12 - 16 - 9 - 53

WHITEFISH SCORING - Mason Kelch 18, Carson Krack 16, Carson Gulick 7, CJ Thew 6, Ryan Conklin 4, Mason Genovese 2

POLSON SCORING - Anthony Lichtenberg 18, Brenden Griffin 11, Maddon Bird 6, Cason Graham 3, Jesse Vail 2, Ezra Fasthorse 2

Tuesday, Feb. 13

WHITEFISH 61, POLSON 45

Polson - 9 - 15 - 6 - 15 - 45

Whitefish - 11 - 18 - 12 - 20 - 61

POLSON SCORING - Anthony Lichtenberg 14, Jesse Vail 6, Maddox Bird 6, Ezra Fasthorse 4, Brenden Griffin 4, Landon Pablo 3, Landon Desjarlais 3, Torrin Ellis 2, Cason Graham 2, Brock Henriksen 1

    Chiefs Laurance Lozeau, Tayen Edmo and Sean Small work the defense in Saturday's win over the Whitefish Bulldogs. (Susan Lake photo)
  

    Ronan's Kolby Finley goes up for two during last week's game against the Libby Loggers. (Christa Umphrey photo)