Ronan had the lead in the first half but blasted the game against Frenchtown right open in the second by scoring 43 points in a 79-58 Western A Divisional Basketball victory on Saturday, March 8, in Whitefish.

Added to tournament wins over Columbia Falls and Hamilton, the victory means the Chiefs will be dancing at the state tournament in Billings starting today, when they face Billings Central at noon.

“That divisional tournament was absolutely loaded with good teams and great coaches, to finish top four is a major accomplishment,” Ronan Head Coach George Sherwood said. “Ronan boys picked up their first postseason tournament win in four years and their first state appearance in four years as well. I am so happy for the school, the community, but most importantly, these boys.”

Laurance Lozeau led Ronan with 18 points, while Tayen Edmo notched 17 points. By all accounts, it was a balanced attack as five different Chiefs scored in double digits. It also avenged an earlier loss to Frenchtown in the tournament.

“We share the ball well,” Sherwood said. “We are one of the top assist teams in the state, and I think it makes us hard to slow down offensively. We are dynamic and if it isn't one guy's night the next guy steps up. I think we are playing our best basketball right now, which is the goal of every coach and team.”

Ronan had a six-point lead in the first quarter and went into the break with a 36-31 advantage. The Chiefs scored 21 points in the third quarter and 22 points in the fourth.

Jhett McDonald had 13 points; Kolby Finley poured in 12, hauled in six rebounds, distributed five assists, and grabbed four steals, and Wade Qualtier had 10 points and distributed four assists.

Ronan was deadly from the three-point line as Lozeau hit four, McDonald hit three, and Edmo had two long-range shots.

The Chiefs improved to 16-6 on the season, downing the 16-6 Broncs.

“I would like to thank the administration for being so supportive, the community for coming and cheering us on, parents for believing in me and letting me coach, and the kids for making my job the best in the state,” Sherwood said. “I am so happy we get a shot at accomplishing our ultimate goal, but no matter the outcome, win or lose, I am sad I won't get to coach this great group of senior boys after Saturday.”

The victory clinched the No. 3 seed for Ronan when they take to the floor Thursday at MetraPark First Interstate Arena – which will be familiar ground for Ronan’s opponent in the first round at state. As the third seed from the west, Ronan will take on the second seed from the east, Billings Central. Ronan’s goal?

“Win the thing,” Sherwood said. “I respect all the teams that have made it this far, you have to. To make it this far, you have to be talented, deep, well-coached, and lucky. I do understand that we can lose to any team at this tournament. I also believe we can beat any team at this tournament, and so do my boys. Placing would be awesome, winning would be historical, something Ronan hasn't done in 60 years.”

Central has a 16-5 record but swept two common opponents with the Chiefs – Laurel and East Helena. Ronan lost to Laurel by just six but defeated East Helena.

Both offenses are high-powered. Billings Central is averaging 69.9 points per game, while the Chiefs are averaging 61.5 points per game. Ronan has scored in the 70s four times this season, while Billings Central has scored in the 70s five times, the 80s three times, and the 90s two times. This means the Chiefs will have to be at the top of their offensive game while also playing superb defense.

Ronan downs Co-Falls to secure trip to State

Ronan punched its ticket to state Saturday morning, downing the Northwest A Conference league No. 2 seed Columbia Falls 55-54 as part of the Western A Divisional Basketball Tournament.

Jhett McDonald scored all of his 14 points in the fourth quarter as the Chiefs outscored the Wildcats 22-13 in the final stanza.

“I think everyone was a star in their role,” Coach George Sherwood said of the divisional tournament. “We have certain jobs for certain guys and I am thrilled with all 12 of my guys.”

To the average fan though, he said, “Jhett Mcdonald absolutely scorched the net this weekend, Kolby Finley really dominated on both sides of the floor, Chad Higgins cleaned the glass for us, Wade Qualtier anchored us defensively, Tayen Edmo got our offense rolling all weekend, Laurance Lozeau was a spark every time it seemed like we needed it.”

He also mentioned major plays and support by Siouxpixm Qualtier, Sean Small, Teddy Spotted Eagle, Trey Samsel, Tryance Matt and Connor Durglo.

The game opened with Columbia Falls building a 30-23 lead at halftime. The Wildcats extended the advantage to eight points in the fourth before the Chiefs came steaming back.

Columbia Falls did have two final shots for the win but hit back iron both of the times.

Finley led Ronan with 16 points and nine rebounds, along with five assists. Qualtier had 11 points and four rebounds, while Edmo added eight points and seven rebounds to accompany three assists.

McDonald hit three three-pointers in the matchup.

Columbia Falls finished the season 16-5 with the loss.

Ronan bounces back from loss with Hamilton win

Bouncing back from a first-round loss to Frenchtown, Ronan took down the south’s No. 4 seed 63-54 in the Western A Divisional Tournament on Friday, March 7, to keep their season alive and breathing.

“The boys are gritty, tough and mature,” Coach George Sherwood said. “I think we found some things out about ourselves in that game. We lost Kolby (Finley) for 90 percent of that game and others stepped up and shined.”

“We knew how good the competition was, but also we knew how good we could be and we continued to have laser focus with our backs against the wall and just competed at a high level.”

Laurance Lozeau crossed the 200-point mark for the season, scoring 13 points, hauling in six rebounds, and dishing out four assists while nabbing four steals to lead the Chiefs.

Ronan led Hamilton by two points in the first quarter and extended their lead to 26-19 at halftime. Hamilton cut the lead to three points in the fourth quarter and then exploded for 20 points in the fourth.

The Chiefs, however, scored 24 points in the final stanza.

Jhett McDonald had 11 points, as did Chad Higgins (who also hauled down five rebounds) while Wade Qualtier had 10 points and four assists. Finley scored nine points and collected seven rebounds.

Tayen Edmo scored eight points and marshaled the court with eight assists. McDonald had three three-pointers, and Lozeau tallied two.

Ronan loses first game to Frenchtown in nail-biter

Ronan lost in overtime to Frenchtown 64-62 in the first round of the Western A Divisional Tournament on Thursday, March 6.

While the Chiefs had a balanced attack and fought the South’s No. 2 seed evenly for four quarters, the Broncs were able to outscore Ronan by three points in the extra stanza.

Tayen Edmo led the Chiefs with 14 points, while Kolby Finley had 11 points. Wade Qualtier played a very balanced game, scoring 10 points, six rebounds, and five assists.

Ronan also got six points from Laurance Lozeau, along with his seven rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Chad Higgins had six points and seven rebounds, while Jhett McDonald posted five points.

The loss in the first round put Ronan’s season on the edge, but the Chiefs responded well.

“I think it wasn't the outcome we wanted but we competed like champions and it gave us confidence for the next three games – maybe a lesson that will be more rewarding than a first-round win,” Coach George Sherwood said.

2025 Western A Divisional at Whitefish

RONAN 79, FRENCHTOWN 58

Fr-town - 12 - 19 - 11 - 16 - 58

Ronan - 18 - 18 - 21 - 22 - 79

RONAN SCORING: Laurance Lozeau 18, Tayen Edmo 17, Jhett McDonald 13, Kolby Finley 12, Wade Qualtier 10, Chad Higgins 3, Siouxpixm Qualtier 2, Sean Small 2, Tryance Matt 2

RONAN 55, COLUMBIA FALLS 54

Ronan - 13 - 10 - 10 - 22 - 55

C-Falls - 16 - 14 - 11 - 13 - 54

RONAN SCORING: Kolby Finley 16, Jhett McDonald 14, Wade Qualtier 11, Tayen Edmo 8, Chad Higgins 4, Laurance Lozeau 2

RONAN 63, HAMILTON 56

Hamilton - 11 - 8 - 17 - 20 - 56

Ronan - 13 - 13 - 13 - 24 - 63

RONAN SCORING: Laurance Lozeau 13, Jhett McDonald 11, Chad Higgins 11, Wade Qualtier 10, Kolby Finley 9, Tayen Edmo 8, Siouxpixm Qualtier 1

At Whitefish

FRENCHTOWN 64, RONAN 62

Ronan - 11 - 10 - 23 - 9 - 9 - 62

Fr-town - 16 - 11 - 17 - 9 - 11 - 64

RONAN SCORING: Tayen Edmo 1

    Airborne Kolby Finley poured in 12 points agains Frenchtown last Saturday, helping his team clinch a spot at the State Class A Tournament in Billings. (Christa Umphrey photo)
  

    Ronan's Jhett McDonald, who added 13 points to Saturday's victory against Frenchtown, puts another ball up. (Christa Umphrey photo)
  

    Ronan's Tayen Edmo levitates off the floor as he gets into his crossover against a Frenchtown defender during the first game of last week's Western A Divisional Tournament in Whitefish. (Kaleb Unger/Leader)