Both the Whitefish boys and girls basketball teams saw their seasons come to a screeching halt, last week, as they were elimated in the Northwest "A" Play-In Tournament.
Both teams would scratch, claw and fight their way but in the end neither team could overcome Ronan.
Starting with a look at last Thursday's Play-In Games:
The Girls would open the play-in tourney against Ronan while the boys faced Polson.
The Lady Dawgs would find themselves down early 11-6 after one quarter and trailed 26-16 at the halftime break.
Whitefish would trail by as many as 17 before clawing back. The Lady Dawgs would cut their deficit to eight, 37-29 after three quarters.
Whitefish opened the fourth quarter strong and pulled within six to make it 37-31 but that's the closest they'd get as Ronan hung on for the 49-37 victory.
Bailey Smith, in her final game as a Lady Dawg earned the OrthoRehab Player of the Game, scoring 7 points.
Ronan was led by Kailyn Morengo who had 12.
After defeating Whitefish, the Maidens would then go on to defeat Polson, on Saturday, to earn the No. 4 seed out of the Northwest "A" for the Divisional Tournament.
As for the Dawgs, the boys team opened the play-in that same day, against the Pirates out of Polson.
The Dawgs would grab the early lead, 16-7, after one quarter of play.
Both teams played an even 2nd as Whitefish took a 28-19 lead into the intermission.
The Dawgs would take over in the third, building a big lead and were up 44-31 after three.
Polson would not back down as they cut the lead to six early in the fourth but a big three by Ryan Conklin shut the door on that. Whitefish knocked down late free throws and held on for the 53-42 win.
Mason Kelch led the way in this one with 18 points while Carson Krack had 13.
Polson was led by Anthony Lichtenberg with 18.
That win, then matched-up the Dawgs with Ronan for a Saturday afternoon contest, with the winner heading to the Divisional Tournament.
Saturday's contest showcased two teams fighting for their lives as the Dawgs would trail early 12-7 after one.
Whitefish would storm back and thanks to a buzzer beating layup by Carson Gulick took a 19-18 lead at halftime.
The Dawgs opened the third with all the momentum as Mason Kelch and Mason Genovese would bury a pair of three's back-to-back to put Whitefish up seven.
Foul trouble and injuries spelled doom for the Dawgs as Ronan seemed to have all the answers. Their star guard Kolby Finley would go on an 8-0 run and the Chiefs took a 32-29 lead after three.
Ronan would save the best for last as Head Coach George Sherwood had an ace up his sleeve. The Chiefs star big man, Marlo Tonasket Jr. who had played limited since coming back from injury got inserted into the game in the fourth and took over. Tonasket hadn't played at all until the final frame. He single handedly took over, dropping in 14 points to lead Ronan to the 52-35 victory. Ronan will be the No. 4 seed out of the Northwest "A" at the Divisional Tournament.
Tonasket led the way for Ronan with those 14, the only player to score in double figures for the Chiefs.
In his final game as a Bulldog, Mason Kelch would earn the Ortho Rehab Player of the Game. He and Mason Genovese dropped in 10 points each to lead Whitefish.
The Dawgs officially finish the season 11-9 overall.
A congratulations goes out to both Whitefish Basketball teams on an amazing season!
Six Whitefish Volleyball Players Earn Postseason Honors
Former Whitefish Standout Fynn Ridgeway Enters Transfer Portal
Whitefish Bulldog Football 2024 Season Replay
Whitefish High School Winter Sports Schedules Released
Whitefish's Izzy Hartwig Signs with Cal Poly Humboldt
