Boys basketball falls in close games against Ronan, Cut Bank

Whitney England, Whitefish Pilot, Mont.
·3 min read

Jan. 11—Whitefish was plagued again by a thin roster and injuries as the team fell in three games last week.

The boys basketball team fell behind in overtime against Ronan, with the Chiefs winning 62-56.

After playing even with the Chiefs through the first half, the Bulldogs took a significant lead in the third quarter. Ronan chipped their way back into the game to push the game to extra time. In overtime, Ronan outscored Whitefish 12-6 to win.

Mason Kelch led the Bulldogs with 17 points. Jack Sears added 14 and Josh Downie was in double figures with 11 points. For Ronan, Marlo Tonasket led their comeback scoring 26 points.

"They fought hard, they really did and honestly our rosters are really thin... to their defense they get tired," Whitefish coach Alex Gonzalez said. "We have some sophomores on the bench that are ready to come in for a minute but not long-term."

Whitefish played Polson on Friday, though full stats were unavailable. Gonzalez says the Bulldogs were in it again playing pretty even with the Pirates until midway through the third quarter. Polson pulled away in the second half as injuries and fatigue affected Whitefish.

Against Cut Bank, on Saturday, Whitefish had a slight lead at halftime but came out cold in the third quarter. It was 41-39 with about 10 seconds left and Whitefish had another chance to tie it or win it. A 3-pointer attempt by Kelch was no good, Sears came up with the rebound and the put-back but it came off his fingers just seconds after the buzzer sounded.

In the game, Whitefish struggled to score, but Sears led the team with 16 points. Downie and Mason Genovese added 8 and 7 points, respectively.

"We could not hit anything, we were just off..." Gonzalez recalled.

Whitefish dealt with some new injuries this week and they already have few players on the bench. Gonzalez said sophomore CJ Thew is stepping up among the young guys and has made a difference for the team coming off the bench. In the Cut Bank game, he made all five of Whitefish's points in the fourth quarter to keep them in the game.

"CJ Thew, he's really proven himself and he's that spark off the bench," Gonzalez said. "I call him our little ball of fire because he comes in and he's ready to play."

This week the team prepares to face Columbia Falls at home on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Libby on Friday at 6 p.m., also in Whitefish.

Whitefish 6 9 23 12 6 — 56

Ronan 6 12 19 13 12 — 62

WHITEFISH — Mason Kelch 17, Jack Sears 14, Josh Downie 11, Mason Genovese 8, Dane Hunt 6.

RONAN — Marlo Tonasket 26, Josiah Misa 11, Kolby Finley 10, Jesse Zepeda 7, Ted Coffman 6, Drake Finley 2.

Stats unavailable for Whitefish/Polson game.

Whitefish 10 15 9 5 — 39

Cut Bank 10 11 16 4 — 41

WHITEFISH — Josh Downie 8, Mason Genovese 7, CJ Thew 5, Mason Kelch 3, Jack Sears 16.

Full Cut Bank stats unavailable.