With the Ronan Chiefs bowing out in the Montana High School Association Class A State Tournament, that ends both the high school basketball season and the winter sports season.

Only one team made state, but multiple teams across Lake County won at the district and divisional level. With successes at all class levels, it’s time to wrap up another exciting season of Lake County hoops.

Ronan Boys Basketball

Starting with the lone state tournament entrant, the Ronan boys basketball team is coming off a dream season.

The team had lost multiple seniors last year, leaving a burden on the only two players who had significant varsity minutes from the prior year.

Seniors Kolby Finley and Jhett McDonald helped push Ronan to one of its best seasons in over 20 years. Along with those two seniors was fellow senior Tryance Matt, junior Siouxpixm Qualtier and junior Matiya Nenemay.

Nenemay was particularly impactful after transferring over from Hellgate High School in Missoula.

That starting lineup was one of the most efficient in Lake County. This team’s ability to shoot threes and play a tough press defense made them extremely frustrating to play against.

This play style helped them earn quality wins this year over the Southwest A one-seeded Frenchtown Broncs and the Class AA Kalispell Flathead Braves

It also helped them earn a 17-6 overall record and win the Northwest A over other divisional challengers like Columbia Falls and Browning.

This was a particularly tough year as the Chiefs dropped two games against conference opponents in both Columbia Falls and Browning. Despite the tough competition, they still managed a 10-2 conference record en route to the number-one seed.

The Chiefs beat out Hamilton and Butte Central to take on the two-time defending Class A champion Dillon Beavers in the Western A Divisional Tournament championship game. The Beavers won 59-45 but Ronan still earned a trip to state.

They lost to Lockwood 65-53 in the first round before dropping their consolation game to Butte Central 55-52 to end their season.

Polson Boys Basketball

The only other Class A team to make the divisional tournament was the Polson Pirates.

Led by the second leading scorer in the Northwest A, the Pirates were a team that relied heavily on the scoring punch of junior Malakai Curley. He paired with a stout starting lineup of sophomore Kyson Michel and seniors Maddox Bird, Cody Haggard and Holden Emerson.

The three seniors were scrappy and physical, always allowing the rest of the team opportunities to convert on strong defensive possessions. Haggard, in particular, was the top rebounder and helped allow Curley and Michel the ability to reset the offense in many situations.

This team saw a lot of close losses and close wins, with seven of their games being decided by five points or less.

Polson struggled against some of the top teams in the Northwest A but they still made some impressive runs that helped to keep them in the playoff picture.

They won when it counted most, taking down Whitefish in Polson 52-45 before trying to avenge their loss to Bigfork back on Jan. 13. It might be hard to beat the same team twice in a year but the Pirates booked their ticket to the Western A Divisional with a 47-45 win over Bigfork.

It was at the divisional where the Pirates lost out to Frenchtown 60-29 before falling behind against conference opponent Columbia Falls 65-41. That loss ended Polson’s miraculous turnaround to close out the year.

They finished with a 10-13 record and a 5-7 conference record.

Polson Girls Basketball

The Polson girls were a fun, fast-paced squad that just couldn’t get over the hump to the divisional round.

The Lady Pirates were one of Lake County’s most interesting teams as they boasted just one senior across the entire roster.

Their starting lineup featured three junior standouts in Rylee Taylor-Jefferson, Aleysia Black and Hinkley Moss. Their lone senior, Josie Henriksen, was also a starter. They also featured a sophomore in Olivia Ramirez.

While they struggled at points during the season, they started the year strong. They traded wins with some of the conference’s top teams while dropping some tough games against non-conference opponents.

However, they lost their last four games of the year to drop them in the standings. It was time for a play-in game for the girls where they would need to knock off rival Ronan first.

While they secured the 45-29 win, they couldn’t make the divisional after dropping their game against Browning in the play-in, 68-49.

They end the year with a 10-10 overall record and finish at 5-7 in the Northwest A.

Ronan Girls Basketball

It was a tough but resilient season for the Ronan girls basketball team.

The team’s identity was defense with a capital D. They were a gritty team that usually won games off of strong defensive performances. This team had three seniors on the starting lineup in Nevaeh Perez, Natalie Adams and Maddy Illig. They also featured junior Kailyn Morengo and eighth grader Nefertiti Stewart on the starting lineup.

This team had significant depth, usually featuring one of the more diverse rotations of lineups across Lake County.

The Maidens were a team that suffered some serious losses going into the start of their conference season. After Jan. 26, Ronan had only earned one win and it was by two points over Lewistown. It looked like a lost season at 1-10 and almost last in the conference.

However, the Maidens never gave up. They ended their season winning five of their last eight games, including a win over rival Polson and the third-best team in the conference, Columbia Falls.

Ronan had to face off against the Lady Pirates in Polson in the play-in, eventually losing 45-29 to close out the year.

They ended the year with a 6-13 record and a 5-7 conference record.

Mission Girls Basketball

One of the two most successful girls teams in the county comes from St. Ignatius as the Mission girls wrapped up their season.

The Lady Bulldogs were a tour de force from the start of the season. They lost just three games all year and went on one of the longest win streaks in the region across all classes. After a blowout loss to Florence on Jan. 3, the Lady Bulldogs went on a 13-game streak.

This team was commanded by Montana State University-Northern commit and senior Cora Matt. Fellow seniors Brookly McClure and Sheadon Kain also helped solidify a veteran core. They were assisted by junior Kieran Incashola and freshman Mary Lamere to round out this stout lineup.

This team’s offensive firepower was almost unmatched all year. The rate at which they shot three-point shots was unbelievable. If the team wasn’t shooting well, they were in luck as they could rely on their 1,000-point scorer, Matt, to dominate under the basket. 

That combination helped the Lady Bulldogs secure the 7B regular-season title before the Western B Divisional Tournament.

After a blowout 67-11 win over Darby, Mission couldn’t find a way to beat Florence with a 67-32 loss.

Even though Mission earned a trip to the third-place divisional game after a 65-42 win over Eureka, they lost to district rival Thompson Falls for the first time all season in a 47-44 overtime game.

They finished with a 19-3 record on the season and an 8-0 regular season district record.

Mission Boys Basketball

The Mission boys had a tough but rewarding year as they joined the girls in the divisional this year.

This team was led by one of the best scorers in Class B, senior Lex LaFrombois. Juniors Jason Leishman, Vinny Shepard and Macklen McDonald also assisted as some of the more vetted players.

The game plan for the Bulldogs usually revolved around LaFrombois leading the way on offense. When the Bulldogs kept teams scoring low, LaFrombois was capitalizing on offensive opportunities.

This season saw some promise early on with the Bulldogs starting 6-7 on the year. With a close gap between all of the 7B teams, it felt like Mission could climb up the standings with a small win streak.

Unfortunately, Mission dropped their last seven games of the year. That included a 68-28 divisional loss to Missoula Loyola and a 43-36 loss against Powell County to close out their season.

They finished this season with a 6-12 overall record and a 4-4 district record.

Arlee Boys Basketball

It was also a rollercoaster season for the Arlee boys basketball team.

The Warriors played their signature blend of fast and press-heavy basketball. That combo led to some exciting results for Arlee.

The Warriors featured some highlight players, including seniors Aiden Martel-Adams, Josh Horn and Aiden Swab. They also had a standout freshman this year in Kade DuPuis-Pablo who helped command the offense all year.

This team earned some exciting wins, including victories over tough 6B district opponents like Missoula Loyola and Florence.

Despite some highlight wins, they struggled all year with absences affecting the team down the stretch. This team remained resilient and stuck with each other to close the year out.

After losing to Powell County in the 6B District Tournament, they won twice to take third place and head to the Western B Divisional Tournament with a chance at a trip to state.

A dominant win over Troy set up a huge match-up against the 6B champion Anaconda Copperheads. They ended up losing in crushing fashion 56-55 to head to the consolation bracket.

They ended their season with another loss against Powell County.

The Warriors finished the year with a 13-7 overall record and a 4-5 district record.

Arlee Girls Basketball

The Arlee girls faced some roadblocks this year but ultimately found some bright spots to close the season.

The Scarlets were a team defined by resilience. They were scrappy in close games and always found a way to make games interesting against good teams. Defensively, they always put up a solid fight.

This team was commanded by a relatively young core this year. Seniors Jaydessa Haynes, ShyAnne Manzanares and Deja-Nay Little Marry led the way as the veterans. Sophomores Gracie Haynes and Kaylee Tanner, along with freshman Justine Shelby, also helped the team throughout the year.

They started the year with a 1-6 record, earning their only win in the season opener before dropping six in a row. Four of those games were on the road.

Arlee earned two more recorded wins but did not manage any better despite some closer results to close out the season.

They ended their season with back-to-back loses to Powell County and Anaconda in the 6B District Tournament.

The Scarlets finished with a 3-14 overall record and a 1-7 district record.

Charlo Girls Basketball

The most successful Class C Lake County school was the Charlo girls.

They were one of the most effective defensive teams in the county, typically locking down some of the best teams from across the region.

Seniors Brielle Zempel and GG Hawk were the bona fide stars for this Lady Vikings team. They were accompanied by junior Maizey McDonald and freshman Brooke Cahoon as contributors.

The Lady Vikings were dominant in district play, dropping only one game the entire district season.

After a standout season from Charlo, they went on to St. Regis and Superior to take the 14C District Tournament title.

A dominant run in the district tournament transferred over to their first game against Lincoln in the Western C Divisional Tournament, where they won 37-34.

They ended up losing to West Yellowstone 54-23 in the winners' bracket before dropping the final game of their season 52-40 to Manhattan Christian.

They finished up the year with a 16-6 overall record and an 11-1 district record.

Two Eagle River Boys 

Another successful season happened in Class C but it was the Two Eagle River boys who benefited.

The Eagles had four standout seniors this season in Thomas Addison, Talon Addison, Jayvian Burke and Ryiley Gates. They were joined by junior Kayson Gates as the main five for this team.

They were dominant offensively, shooting the ball most nights at a high volume while making many of those shots. Kayson was lockdown in the paint while the other four scored from all different levels of the floor.

This dynamic offense helped them win most of their games this year, with their only losses in the regular season coming to St. Regis and their Class B neighbors in Mission and Arlee.

They earned a win over Superior before losing to St. Regis in the 14C District Tournament to take second place in the district.

That secured them a trip to the Western C Divisional Tournament, where they lost a close one 76-71 to West Yellowstone in the winners' bracket. They closed their season with a loss to St. Regis in the consolation bracket.

The Eagles finished with a 15-6 overall record and an 8-2 district record.

Charlo Boys Basketball

The Charlo boys struggled this year but showed some highlights throughout a tough season.

This team was defined by senior star Karson Cox who average over 20 points per game for most of the season. He was accompanied by seniors Kenyan DuMont and Tasker Brown as contributors. Freshman Ecko Edwards and sophomore Ronson Hout also rounded out the starters for this team.

Despite some early wins in the year, an injury to Cox slowed the momentum for the Vikings as they lost seven games going into the district tournament.

However, their leading scorer returned from injury going into the tournament and immediately made an impact. He led the team in scoring in both their losses to Noxon and Superior.

Even with his production, they were unable to win a game in the postseason.

The Vikings ended the year with a 4-13 overall record and a 2-7 district record.

Two Eagle River Girls

To round out this season, the Two Eagle River girls had a highlight season that fell just short in the postseason.

It is easy to look at the Lady Eagles’ record and think they may have come up short. But this season saw the team double their previous win total while showcasing some strong young talent.

Junior Keke Tenas was the leading scorer all year for this team and led the way as a vocal leader as well. Seniors Jodessa Dickson and Emma SpottedEagle were the other two veteran voices on this squad. Freshmen Justini Nicolai and Lexis Sparks rounded out the consistent starters this year.

This season saw the Lady Eagles make huge strides throughout the regular season with impressive wins in and out of the district.

They had a two-game win streak heading into their district tournament too. However, they lost a close 42-33 game against St. Regis to put them in the consolation bracket.

They ran into Hot Springs, who had one of their strongest games of the tournament against the Lady Eagles. Two Eagle River went on to lose that one 52-31.

They finished this season 9-11 overall and 5-7 in the district.

    Ronan senior Kolby Finley drives from the wing to the basket against Butte Central on March 13 at Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls. (Jacob Piapot Photo)
  

    Mission senior Cora Matt goes for a midrange jumpshot against Eureka on Feb. 27 at Eureka High School. (Christa Umphrey Photo)
  

    Two Eagle River senior Jodessa Dickson gets guarded up against St. Regis on Feb. 12 at Two Eagle River School. (Christa Umphrey Photo)