Chiefs experience difficult week on the road
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The Ronan Chiefs basketball team was dealt a pair of tough losses on the road last week, falling to Florence and Eureka. Despite losing, head coach Steve Woll says his team is starting to gel into what could be a very talented team come postseason.
“At Florence I thought we played a complete game-the best all year,” Woll said. “We executed, ran the floor well and played defense. We played better than the final score.”
Against Florence, Ronan led early with a 13-11 advantage entering the second quarter. Florence rallied to outscore the Chiefs 14-11 in the second quarter to lead 25-24 at the break.
“Florence is the No. 1 team (in the conference) on their home court,” Woll said. “We got off to a good start; (Florence) made their free throws and we didn’t.”
Florence kept Ronan’s offense at bay in the second half, holding the Chiefs to only eight points in the third quarter and 15 in the fourth, giving Florence a 58-47 victory.
Robbie Gauthier hit three 3-pointers for the Chiefs, finishing the the game with 16 points, while Carston Baertsch added eight.
The Chiefs fell to the Falcons by three points earlier in the season, but Woll says his team played much better than in the previous game.
On Saturday, Ronan traveled to Eureka, where the Lions’ runs in the first and third quarter helped pace them past the Chiefs, 73-53.
“We let them score 22 in the first quarter by shooting layups-not what we wanted to do,” Woll said. “We were down one at halftime, but Eureka became the aggressor. We executed, Edmund Dupuis hits a three, and we’re down two.”
Eureka then went on a 24-5 run, where Woll says his team “couldn’t stop the bleed.”
“They got in a groove; we scored eight in the third quarter and it was pretty much over,” Woll said. The Lions pulled away with a 73-53 win.
“We went from our best game to not the same ball on Saturday,” Woll said. “We’re going back to the drawing board.”
Along with Brady Oakland and Marcus Hungerford leading the way for Ronan, Gauthier has increased his tenacity on the court over the past few weeks.
“Robbie has turned the corner; he’s doing great,” Woll said. “He’s become a leader and is coming around. He’s a team player and leads by example.”
Woll added that Marley Tanner, Dupuis and Baertsch haver also become vital members of the team.
“We have a deep bench, and I trust those kids,” he said. “They’re doing a great job. The whole team is gelling even though we got two losses.”
The Chiefs have a busy week ahead of them as they played Polson at home Jan. 24 before playing Hamilton on the road Jan. 27 and Loyola at home Jan. 28.
SUMMARY
Eureka 73, Ronan 53
Ronan 14 18 8 13 - 53
Eureka 22 11 24 16 - 73
RONAN - Jalen Bell 2, Carston Baertsch 5, Robbie Gauthier 2, Edmond Dupuis 11, Marcus Hungerford 11, Zachary Wagner 6, Marley Tanner 1, Brady Oakland 13, Daniel Ayelsworth 2.
EUREKA - Tanner Peterson 17, Ryan Holder 16, Tanner Blankers 25, Chris Ibach 9, Cameron Griffin 2, Bryton Guckenberg 4.
Florence 58, Ronan 47
Ronan 13 11 8 15 - 47
Florence 11 14 16 17 - 58
RONAN - Marcus Hungerford 4, Robbie Gauthier 16, Robert Faoa 1, Marley Tanner 4, Brady Oakland 2, Carston Baertsch 8, Edmond Dupuis 7, Daniel Aylesworth 2.
FLORENCE - Ryne Baerlocher 7, Chantz Hotsinpiller 3, Mike Finlay 5, Aaron Ward 18, Sage Hansen 13, Rhett Baerlocher 5, Bradley Schaff 7.
