Whitefish boys drop pair of Northwest A games to Columbia Falls, Ronan

The Bulldogs showed flashes of strong play but couldn’t sustain momentum in a pair of Northwest A losses last week, falling to Columbia Falls Wildkats 59-44 on Friday before dropping a 66-58 decision to the Ronan Chiefs on Thursday.

Against Columbia Falls, Whitefish (5-8 overall, 1-6 Northwest A) struck first behind early baskets from Reyd Hobart and Finn Ryan to take a 13-12 lead after one quarter. Hobart finished with a team-high 13 points, while Ryan added eight.

The Wildcats responded at the start of the second quarter as Jory Hill knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give Columbia Falls a 24-18 advantage. The Wildcats carried that momentum into the second half, opening the third quarter with a 13-2 run fueled by three-pointers from Rhett Lindskoog and Bjorn Pedersen to stretch the lead to 39-24.

Whitefish answered late in the third quarter as Will Sisson drained two pull-up threes to cut the deficit to 41-32 heading into the final period. Sisson finished with 10 points. Columbia Falls, however, closed strong behind senior Easton Brooks, who scored 10 points and set up a corner three by Caleb Mee to seal the win.

Hill led all scorers with 19 points for Columbia Falls (10-4, 6-2).

A night earlier, Whitefish jumped out to a fast start against Ronan, building a 22-15 first-quarter lead behind three three-pointers from Hobart and another from Aiden Rogers. The Bulldogs struggled offensively in the second quarter, however, as Matiya Nenemay and Kolby Finley combined for 17 points to push the Chiefs in front.

Nenemay continued his hot shooting in the third quarter, hitting two more threes as Ronan extended its lead to 52-40. Ronan (11-3, 6-2) placed two players in the 20-point column, with Nenemay and Finley each finishing with 20 points. Jhett McDonald added 10.

Whitefish made a push in the fourth quarter but couldn’t close the gap. Will Sisson led the Bulldogs with 14 points, while Hobart scored 12 and Leo Bungener added 12.