Ronan, Polson boys surge through Crossover Tourney
BRANDON HANSEN For the Leader | Lake County Leader | UPDATED 8 hours, 2 minutes AGO
Ronan Chief Kolby Finley, shown here at the Frenchtown Tip-Off, scored 18 points against Miles City and another 11 vs. Fergus in last week's basketball action. (Christa Umphrey photo)
The Ronan and Polson boys basketball teams are making statements already, with Ronan rolling through the East-West Crossover Tournament after scoring a non-conference win, while Polson earned two tournament victories to keep pace near the top of the Class A standings.
Ronan dominates East-West Crossover field
The Ronan Chiefs opened the East-West Crossover Tournament in Browning Dec. 19-20 in impressive fashion, defeating Miles City 80-41.
Ronan connected on 11 three-pointers and controlled the game from start to finish. Jhett McDonald led the Chiefs with 20 points, knocking down five triples, while Kolby Finley added 18 points and nine assists. Matiya Nenemay scored 13 points, and Ben RunningRabbit chipped in 12 as Ronan improved to 4-1.
The Chiefs followed up with another decisive win, topping Fergus 80-55.
Ronan jumped out to a 31-7 first-quarter lead and never relinquished control. Siouxpixm Qualtier paced the Chiefs with 19 points, including a perfect 3-for-3 effort from beyond the arc.
McDonald added 16 points, Nenemay scored 15, and Finley finished with 11 points and nine assists.
Ronan continued its strong week last Tuesday with a 68-43 non-conference win over the Corvallis Blue Devils in an individual matchup.
McDonald led the balanced effort with 15 points, while Finley and Nenemay each added 11. The Chiefs drained 11 three-pointers and forced turnovers to pull away, improving to 2-1 at that point in the season.
Polson earns two Crossover victories
Polson Pirates also had a successful run at the Crossover Tournament, with a 68-56 win over Laurel and a 59-36 victory over Park County.
The Pirates led wire-to-wire against Park, using a strong second quarter to build separation. Cody Haggard scored a game-high 20 points to lead Polson, while Malakai Curley added 11.
Kyson Michel finished with nine points, and Ama OldShoes contributed six as Polson improved to 3-1 overall.