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Maidens cage Lady Lions, fall to Lady Falcons

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The Maidens improved to 2-2 on the season Saturday as Ronan used its defensive presence in a come-from-behind victory over Eureka, winning 44-39. The comeback win was the first in three years for the Maidens, as they are fitting in nicely in Class B so far. Courtney Clairmont hit a three-pointer with only 2:39 remaining in the fourth quarter to bring Ronan within one point, down 37-36. The Maidens freshmen and junior varisity all won their games that day, which head coach Clayton Curley says hasn’t happened in a long time, and is proof Ronan’s basketball program is improving from the middle school up to the high school.

“It’s a huge stepping stone for our program,” he said. “It’s pretty neat to see.”

Curley noted it was the Maidens’ defense that made the difference, as they caused multiple turnovers and made it to the free throw line to capitalize on free points.

“We’ve been talking about that in practice,” he said. “Being able to do those two things were huge for us to win that game.”

At the 1:30-minute mark, Raymi Clairmont hit a pop-up jumper to give Ronan a 38-37 lead, forcing the Lady Lions to play catch-up for the remaining minute. The Maidens remained poised, hitting seven of eight free throws in the final quarter to prevent Eureka from the rally attempt as the Maidens won 44-39.

Courtney Clairmont finished with 17 points, while Raymi added another 13. Ashleigh Lynch contributed another six.

“Our defense was a big factor,” he said. “We built confidence with the come-from-behind win. It’s a good thing for them to know they can do that.”

Earlier in the week, the Maidens traveled to Florence, where Ronan faced its toughest team so far this season. The Lady Falcons shot off to a 23-15 lead at the end of the first quarter and finished the half with a convincing 43-23 lead.

“It was chaos on the court,” Curley said. “That’s the tough thing about entering a new conference, you are unfamiliar with the teams we play.”

Florence’s run-and-gun style of play made it hard for the Maidens to keep up.

“It was an ugly game,” Curley said. “They are a quick team. They have no size, but they’re quick.”

Florence prevented the Maidens from any sort of comeback in the third, holding Ronan to only six points, while the Lady Falcons added another 23, eventually rolling to an 84-52 win.

Clairmont led Ronan with 17 points, while Lynch finished with 10. Alaina Madsen bottomed out the top three scorers for Ronan with eight points.

The Maidens also played Loyola on Dec. 20, which was their last game before the holiday break. Ronan will resume its season on Jan. 3 against Deer Lodge.

“We’re working on our full court press and handling of the ball,” Curley said. 

SUMMARY
Ronan 44, Eureka 39
Eureka 10 11 12 6 - 39
Ronan 6 10 10 18 - 44
EUREKA - Alex Holland 7, Mikayla Grove 6, Alyssa White 4, Alex Pecora 3, Caitlin Larson 10, Cassidy Morgan 3, Kendra Chupp 4, Carli Allen 2.
RONAN - Kiana Howell 2, Raymi Clairmont 12, Courtney Clairmont 17, Alaina Madsen 2, Ashleigh Lynch 6, Ashley Grandchamp 5.

Florence 84, Ronan 52
Ronan 15 8 6 23 - 52
Florence 23 20 23 18 - 84
RONAN - Kianna Howell 2, Raymi Clairmont 6, Brianna Frank 2, Courtney Clairmont 17, Alaina Madsen 8, Ashleigh Lynch 10, Ashley Grandchamp 7.
FLORENCE - Megan Byrne 11, Cassandra Skeers 16, Courtney Byrne 6, Ava Kollman 14, Cody Miller 19, Carli O’Brien 9, Kyndall Hoff 2, Rosie O’Brien 7.

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