Chiefs win nailbiter against Mission
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The Ronan Chiefs boys’ basketball team is hitting its stride midseason after improving to 5-4 overall with a pair of wins over Mission and Plains. It was standing-room-only Thursday evening in the Mission gym as the rivalry between two talented teams made for an exciting atmosphere in a closely contested game.
“I think we played pretty good defense,” Ronan head coach Steve Woll said. “We were on the ropes a couple of times and didn’t put them away. Down the stretch whoever made the most plays won; it was a battle to the end.”
Team leaders Brady Oakland and Marcus Hungerford made it known early that they came to play. Oakland had a big night, scoring 19 points for the Chiefs. Hungerford paced his team with 10.
“Brady is the most consistent player on our team,” Woll said. “Our players can hang their hats on him.”
“Marcus is a three-year starter, we expect him to be there every night,” he added.
Ronan took off in the second quarter, as Mission hit a road block offensively, only scoring three points to Ronan’s 12, allowing the Chiefs to enter the break with a 23-14 lead.
In any good rivalry game, there is usually a comeback. That was the case for Mission, as the Bulldogs found the rim in the second half to claw back into the game.
The Bulldogs fought hard in the fourth, outscoring Ronan 16-12, but the Chiefs were able to outlast Mission, winning 48-43.
Stuart Grant led Mission with 10 points.
The Chiefs experienced a little bit of a hangover from the Mission game early on Saturday against Plains, but were able to pull away late, winning big 56-34.
Marley Tanner had a big night for Ronan, scoring 14 points, with six of those coming in the final frame to pace the Chiefs. Ronan jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but Plains gained ground in the second, scoring 16 points to Ronan’s 17. Both teams scored 11 in the third quarter, but Ronan sealed the deal in the fourth, outscoring Plains 21-5.
Hungerford finished with 11 points, while Edmond Dupuis added another 10.
Plains was led by Tanner Ostrom, who finished with 14 points, while Jeremiah Crawford added another six.
Ronan played Florence on Jan. 17, and travel to Eureka Jan. 21. Coach Woll says his team needs to work on a few things if they plan to get better as tournament time nears.
“We need to finish quarters and games better,” he said. “It would be nice to put the ball in the hole better, too. We struggle at the free-throw line a bit, those are all things we need to get better at.”
Consistency is also a major factor for the Chiefs, Woll says, as they begin to start their schedule over again, and play familiar teams.
“We played good against Eureka down here (in Ronan), but we have a long trip up there (to Eureka) and they are a very talented team,” Woll said. “We need to bring our ‘A’ game, as always.”
SUMMARY
Ronan 56, Plains 34
Plains 2 16 11 5 - 34
Ronan 7 17 11 21 - 56
PLAINS - Brandon Smith 2, Robert Earhart 5, Tanner Ostrom 14, Jeremiah Crawford 6, Kaleb Beech 4, James Rulison 1, Dallas Burgess 2.
RONAN - Robbie Gauthier 9, Edmond Dupuis 10, Marcus Hungerford 11, Marley Tanner 14, Carston Baertsch 2, Robert Faoa 8, Zach Wagner 2.
Ronan 48, St. Ignatius 43
Ronan 11 12 13 12 - 48
St. Ignatius 11 3 13 16 - 43
RONAN - Robbie Gauthier 6, Edmond Dupuis 6, Marcus Hungerford 10, Marley Tanner 1, Brady Oakland 19, Carston Baertsch 3, Robert Faoa 3.
ST. IGNATIUS - Jarred Smith-Brown 7, Austin Durglo 9, Dylan Evans 7, Nikko Alexander 1, Stuart Grant 10, Paden Alexander 5, Patrick Eichert 2, Will Powell 2.
