The second biggest weekend of the basketball season has wrapped up as the Ronan and Polson boys basketball teams finished up their Western A Divisional Tournament runs. The Chiefs are headed to state, while the Pirates will head into the spring sports season. 

Here’s a check on how each divisional game went for the two Class A teams.

Dillon Boys 59, Ronan Boys 45

Ronan had done everything they needed to do in order to make it to state. On March 7, it had one more game to prove why they were the best in the division against the two-time reigning state champion Dillon Beavers.

Dillon showed their championship experience early on by dominating the boards and preventing the Ronan standouts from putting up points.

While Ronan struggled to match in the first, they kept up the pace in the second quarter with every player finding a way to get points on the board. Even with some improved pace and scoring, they trailed 30-24 heading into halftime.

A strong first half was not enough to carry over into the second half as the Beavers started to control this one. Ronan fought hard but came up against a team that had been there before. 

As Dillon started to pull away in the fourth quarter, the team reeled and slowed down the scoring. The Beavers were too much that day as Ronan fell 59-45 in the divisional chip.

“ Just too slow of a start against too good of a team,” Ronan head coach George Sherwood said. “We just looked a little sped up to start the game and it took us a while to settle in, but once we did, we competed well. The ball just didn't bounce our way tonight.”

Junior Matiya Nenemary led the team with 14 points in scoring.

They will head to the Montana High School Association Class A State Tournament to play the Eastern two-seed Lockwood Lions at 9 a.m. on March 12 at ExpoPark.

Ronan Boys 58, Butte Central Boys 51

To get to the chip, you have to face a team with championship experience. On March 6, Ronan had their biggest challenge up to that point in Butte Central.

It was high scoring in the first quarter with Ronan leading 17-15. It took the direction of Nenemay to help bring this team into the mix as he hit tough bucket after tough bucket.

The second quarter was another strong one for Ronan as the Chiefs controlled the offense. While the Maroons struggled, Ronan continued to find a way to keep a strong 33-24 lead.

The third quarter saw Butte Central find some momentum but Ronan still kept steady heading into the fourth quarter. 

After a strong third, the Maroons couldn’t find a way to claw their way back into it. Ronan found answers every chance they could and neutralized Butte Central with some tough buckets down the stretch. The Chiefs won 58-51, punching their ticket to the state tournament.

“We just had to stay level-headed and we just had to keep breathing and trust our teammates,” Nenemay said. “You know, we understand that it's a team game out here, and we were gonna either win or lose it as a team. So we wanted to come in here and we wanted to win it. We just kept our minds on our goals. We want to go to the state championship and make it big.”

Nenemay led the team with 19 points.

Ronan Boys 56, Hamilton Boys 43

It was redemption day on March 5 as the Chiefs looked to avenge a loss they suffered against the Hamilton Broncs in their season opener.

In the first quarter, it looked like the Broncs were going to notch another win against Ronan. A slow start on offense and a lack of scoring from the team’s best players helped Hamilton go ahead 10-8 after the first quarter.

The three-point shooting picked up in the second quarter as the team started to find looks against the Broncs. It was a 24-19 swing for the Chiefs as senior Jhett McDonald found his groove from beyond the arc.

The third quarter mimicked the first quarter as Hamilton tried to swing the game back to themselves. However, Ronan had finally settled in and only allowed Hamilton to outscore them 13-12 heading into the fourth quarter.

The Chiefs finished the job with a 20-point fourth quarter. Finley and Nenemay made the plays necessary to help push Ronan past Hamilton 56-43.

McDonald led the team with 18 points in the win.

Columbia Falls Boys 65, Polson Boys 41

It was a do-or-die game for Polson in the consolation bracket as they took on Northwest A rival Columbia Falls on March 6.

Polson locked in the dream quarter against the Wildcats. Good defense helped push back a team that had swept the Pirates in the regular season. They scored just enough to take a 10-8 lead going into the second quarter.

However, the second quarter was completely controlled by Wildcat junior Jory Hill. He made four three-point shots in the quarter, completely taking over when Columbia Falls needed it. Polson was still struggling to score at a high volume, leading to a 29-18 first half lead for the Wildcats.

With Polson down by 11, the lead felt insurmountable. Polson never caught up in the third quarter as Columbia Falls continued to put up points in response to the Pirates' runs.

The Wildcats had done a good job of containing Polson the entire season and this game was the same way. Columbia Falls won out 65-41, ending the season for the Pirates.

“When Jory hit the four threes that he had, that was the turning point in the game,” Polson head coach Randy Dennis said. “I thought we came out and played pretty well with our game plan that we had, you know, but we just didn't have enough firepower for that group.”

Malakai Curley led Polson in scoring with 16 points. He also passed the 700-point mark for varsity scoring. Kyson Michel also hit 200 points for the season in scoring.

The Pirates finish the year 10-13 overall and 5-7 in conference.

Frenchtown Boys 60, Polson Boys 29

It was always going to be a tough one when Polson faced off against the Southwest A one-seed Frenchtown Broncs on March 5.

The Pirates kept it close in the first quarter, something they’ve been able to accomplish all year against good teams. However, Broncs led 13-7 at the close.

Two straight quarters of scoring followed that firmly put Frenchtown ahead. A 20-point second quarter helped Frenchtown head into halftime with the momentum.

A 17-point third quarter added to that run as the Pirates continued to struggle on both ends of the court. 

The Pirates struggled to keep up against one of the best teams in the region, ultimately losing out 60-29.

Senior Maddox Bird led the team with nine points.

    Ronan senior Jhett McDonald makes a high arcing shot against Butte Central on March 6 at Hamilton High School. (Jacob Piapot Photo)
  

    Polson senior Maddox Bird goes up for a layup against Frenchtown on March 5 at Hamilton High School. (Seth Anderson Photo)
  

    Polson junior Malakai Curley goes for a contested jumpshot against Columbia Falls on March 6 at Hamilton High School. (Seth Anderson Photo)