Second-seeded Lions use size, defense to advance

Libby avenges 30-point loss by beating Ronan in opening round of divisional

The Daily Inter Lake

WHITEFISH - What a difference a couple of weeks - and some vastly different attitudes - can make.

Just 18 days ago the Libby basketball team fell to the Ronan Chiefs by 30 points.

"We were terrible … players, coaches. We had no emotion. We had no intensity. We were just bad," Libby head coach Wally Winslow said of the Feb. 4 game in Ronan.

"Ronan is the type of team - they'll bury you," he added.

The effect that loss had on the Loggers was a deep determination to do better next time.

Practices got more intense and the level of the emotion picked up.

"It's good to know our kids wanted to work hard," Winslow said.

And when 'next time' arrived, the Loggers were ready.

That opportunity came in the opening round of the 2007 Northwestern A divisional basketball tournament.

The Loggers, seeded fifth, pulled out a 74-64 victory over the fourth-seeded Chiefs. Libby will now face No. 1 seed Columbia Falls at 8 tonight. Ronan is off until 9:30 a.m. Saturday, when it takes on the loser of tonight's 6:30 p.m. semifinal.

Thursday's game was nip-and-tuck all the way.

Neither team could pull away - and neither team would go away.

A play or two either way could have changed the outcome.

Before the final two minutes of the contest, the biggest lead was six points - Libby led 67-61 with 3:36 left in the game.

Ronan's largest lead was 19-14 at the end of the first quarter.

"We're very evenly matched. Nobody really wanted to stop playing hard," Winslow said.

"We weren't always right, but we played really hard."

"Libby answered every time we got up. They did a good job of executing," Ronan coach John Hollow said.

"We hit some big shots," Winslow said. "We made some shots - and Ronan, they matched us. It was just a good high school basketball game."

Unless you were watching from the standpoint of the Ronan coaching staff.

"That was the worst we've played defensively all year," Hollow said.

"We didn't show up tonight to play defense - and they didn't miss," Hollow said.

It was also the most points the Chiefs have surrendered, he added.

"We weren't able to come up with stops when we needed to," he said.

Cameron Barber scored 25 points - 17 in the first half - to lead Ronan.

Sophomore Nolan Harris hit six 3-pointers and a pair of free throws to net 20 and junior Moss Tanner scored 10 before rolling an ankle.

Libby was led by Jim Mee's 24 and Kyle Baker's 20. But it was sophomore guard Joel Fuller that Winslow heaped praise upon.

"Jim and Kyle are always going to do well. But it helps so much when we have other people step up."

Fuller scored 12 points - including two second half 3-pointers. One of Fuller's treys stopped what could have been the beginning of a Ronan run midway through the third quarter. The second started the Loggers on their final run.

"Those were two big three's. I was happy for Joel," Winslow said.

As unhappy as Hollow was with his team's performance, he added Ronan could be in a worse position.

The Chiefs are off now until 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

"We've got to come through the back door," he said. "Hopefully, Libby either wins it or doesn't make the championship game."

As for tonight's game, Winslow just shook his head and smiled.

"From the frying pan to the fire. Columbia Falls is very good," he said. "Every year (Columbia Falls coach Cary Finberg) has his team playing at the edge of effort. He makes them play that hard," Winslow said.

"They're going to zone, we're going to run our sets.

"If we play as hard as we played tonight, I'll take whatever the kids give me."

Libby 74, Ronan 64

Ronan 19 16 19 10 - 64

Libby 14 22 21 17 - 74

Ronan - Moss Tanner 4 1-2 10, Billy Antoine 2 0-2 4, Ryon Hesselgesser 1 0-0 3, Gene Adams 1 0-0 2, Nolan Harris 6 2-2 20, Cameron Barber 10 5-8 25. Totals 24 8-14 64.

Libby - Zach Rowan 2 2-3 7, Kyle Baker 7 4-6 20, Jim Mee 6 9-9 24, Tyler Brothers 1 1-2 3, Joel Fuller 4 2-3 12, Charley May 3 0-0 6, Rob Carney 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 18-23 74.

3-point goals: Ronan 8 (Harris 6, Tanner 1, Hesselgesser 1), Libby 8 (Mee 3, Baker 2, Fuller 2, Rowan 1). Fouled out: Barber, Mike Fisher II.