Coming together
Ronan goes 2-1 during busy week
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RONAN – As the road to the Divisional tournament nears, the Ronan Chiefs basketball team seems to be firing on all cylinders. Last week, the Chiefs fell early on to Polson but rallied to beat Hamilton and Loyola.
“I thought we got a little better every game,” Ronan head coach Steve Woll said. “We played good against Polson, but we couldn’t put the ball in the hole.”
Woll says more of his players are starting to step up and produce for the team.
“Robbie (Gauthier is) playing well; Marley Tanner and Edmond Dupuis had a good week,” he noted.
On Tuesday, Ronan hosted Class A rival Polson at the Ronan Event Center, where the packed house of fans witnessed a full-on battle between two evenly talented teams.
Polson gained an early edge, outscoring Ronan 11-8 in the opening quarter, but the Chiefs hung strong in the second and were down 27-22 at the break.
The Pirates continued to put up strong numbers in the second half, while holding the Chiefs to only 19 additional points, giving Polson the 54-41 win.
Marcus Hungerford led Ronan with nine points, while Brady Oakland added eight. Robbie Gauthier and Edmond Dupuis both finished with six points.
Polson was led by Zach Camel’s 16-point performance, while Ian Laimbeer contributed 13.
On Friday, Ronan traveled to Hamilton, where the Chiefs pulled out a 63-53 win in a non-conference game. The Chiefs rocketed out to a convincing 20-7 lead thanks to Gauthier and Hungerford both nailing 3-pointers. Hamilton wasn’t about to hand over the win, outscoring Ronan 16-13 in the second to trail 33-23 at the break.
“I think we got out to a good start in the first quarter,” Woll said. “Then it was back and forth.”
Ronan sealed the win in the fourth, outscoring the Broncs 17-16 to win 63-53.
Hungerford led Ronan with 18 points, while Robbie Gauthier added 14. Senior Chris Clary returned to the court after sitting out the first half of the season with a broken leg and scored 10 points.
“Clary’s a big boost,” Woll said. “He’s got a big body and brings energy that the kids feed off.”
Hamilton was led by Brad Palin’s 13 points, while Eli Rogers scored 11 and Jesse Bartels added 12.
“We played good defense,” Woll said. “Palin had 13, but we did good against him.”
The week was capped off with a home game against No. 2 Loyola, which proved to be a considerable road block for the No. 3 Chiefs. It was a close game from the start, and Carston Baertsch paced Ronan to the win after scoring 11 of his 13 points in the final quarter. Baertsch’s hot streak came when the Chiefs needed it the most, as the team went just three-for-nine at the free throw line in the final quarter. Nine of Baertsch’s points came from his three 3-pointers, helping lift the Chiefs to a 50-48 win.
Hungerford and Gauthier added eight points each, while Dupuis added nine.
Loyola was led by Josh Janssen’s 21 points, while Josh Gilligan added 11.
“Janssen had 21 on us, but he didn’t have one open shot,” Woll said. “Our guys had a conscious effort of finding him. It was a big conference win for us.”
Woll says his team needs to continue getting better at free throws, finishing quarters and games to contend at Divisionals.
The Chiefs stay at home this week, hosting Deer Lodge Feb. 3 and Troy Feb. 4.
SUMMARY
Polson 54, Ronan 41
Polson 11 16 15 12 - 54
Ronan 8 14 9 10 - 41
POLSON - Tyler Krell 4, Vince DiGiallonardo 9, Zach Camel 16, Will Davey 4, Ian Laimbeer 13, Cody Fischer 4, Riley Sampson 4.
RONAN - Robbie Gauthier 6, Edmond Dupuis 6, Marcus Hungerford 9, Marley Tanner 7, Brady Oakland 8, Jalen Bell 3, Carston Baertsch 2.
Ronan 63, Hamilton 53
Ronan 20 13 13 17 - 63
Hamilton 7 16 14 16 - 53
RONAN - Robbie Gauthier 14, Marcus Hungerford 18, Marley Tanner 4, Brady Okland 7, Chris Clary 10, Carston Baertsch 2, Robert Faoa 4, Zach Wagner 4.
HAMILTON - Brad Palin 13, Eli Rogers 11, Reese Isherwood 10, Jesse Bartels 12, Seth Mason 2, Josh Bauder 4, John Ryter 1.
Ronan 50, Loyola 48
Ronan 8 14 10 18 - 50
Loyola 4 16 17 11 - 48
RONAN - Marcus Hungerford 8, Robert Faoa 1, Brady Oakland 1, Carston Baertsch 13, Robbie Gauthier 8, Edmond Dupuis 9, Zach Wagner 3, Marley Tanner 3, Chris Clary 4.
LOYOLA SACRED HEART - Josh Gilligan 11, Andrew Sopko 9, JJ Anderson 3, Josh Janssen 21, Forrest Cooper 4.
