The Ronan Chiefs were the last standing team from Lake County heading to the Montana High School Association Class A State Tournament.

Despite losing out in the consolation bracket, the Ronan Chiefs had a standout year. Here’s a look at how their state tournament games went.

Lockwood Boys 65, Ronan Boys 53

It was a battle of titans in the first round of the Class A state tournament, with the Chiefs trying to knock off the Lions on March 12.

This game was close from the start with Ronan’s Kolby Finley dominating the scoreboard. However, the Lions leapt to an early 20-18 first-quarter lead.

Lockwood stepped up on defense in the second quarter, containing Ronan to just six points while nearly matching their scoring output from the prior quarter. This lead put the Lions up 36-24 with the Chiefs now in a massive hole.

Ronan played it close once again in the third quarter but trailed behind by 47-37. Finley managed to continue his scoring output but the defensive effort was just not enough to keep Lockwood away.

The Lions cleaned it up in the fourth quarter as Ronan tried to outscore Lockwood. Ultimately, the Chiefs were defeated 65-53 in their first-round game.

Finley led the way with 29 points while Matiya Nenemay helped out with 14 points of his own.

Butte Central Boys 55, Ronan Boys 52

It was redemption time on March 13 for Ronan but the Chiefs ran into a familiar foe in the Butte Central Maroons.

These teams had previously met in the Western A Divisional Tournament and the Chiefs had won that game 58-51.

However, it is tough to beat the same team twice in a year.

The Maroons took the early 13-11 lead in the first quarter with both teams relying heavily on defense to keep this one close.

The second quarter saw Ronan continue their defensive prowess while pushing their scoring to another level. The Chiefs took the 27-20 lead with a chance to play on Saturday in sight.

However, the Maroons found a rhythm in the second half. Butte Central’s Ryan Peoples started to find ways to expose the Ronan defense as they cut the gap 40-36.

Ronan fought hard but they ran out of energy to close this one out. The Maroons scored a game high 19 points in the fourth quarter to will them to a 55-52 victory.

The Chiefs ended their season with Siouxpixm Qualtier leading the way with 17 points. Finley ended his high school basketball career with 14 points while fellow senior Jhett McDonald notched 10 points.

    Ronan junior Matiya Nenemay fights through contact to dribble the ball against Butte Central on March 13 at Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls. (Jacob Piapot Photo)