Loggers drop first two; Stevensville pounds Libby, 63-15

The Libby Loggers dropped their opening basketball game of the season Friday 64-55 at Ronan despite a 33-point performance by senior Jared Winslow.

Libby led 11-8 after the first quarter, but a 24-14 second quarter gave Ronan a halftime lead they would never relinquish.

Winslow shot 6-of-12 from behind the arc and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Such a stat line will likely be normal Winslow will have to carry the way, at least early on, for the young team.

“We had 22 turnovers,” Head Coach Wally Winslow said. “We didn’t make great decisions with the ball. We tried to do something that were unavailable to us.”

Timmy Woll and Alex Quequesah led the Chiefs in scoring with 20 points apiece. Michael Curtiss was Libby’s second leading scorer with six points.

Head Coach Winslow praised his team’s competitive attitude, blaming early season rust for a second half of oscillation basketball where the Ronan lead fluctuated between eight and 10 points.

“We couldn’t get within seven points,” Head Coach Winslow said. “We started pressing, but could not capitalize on some chances. Overall it was a fun atmosphere and the kids had a lot of fun.”

Stevensville 63-Libby 15:

At Polson on Saturday, Libby dropped a sordid affair against the defending state champion. Whether it was tired legs or a bit of intimidation, Head Coach Winslow was not pleased.

“We were horrible on rebounding,” Winslow said. “We just did not rebound the ball. Stevensville has huge athletes.”

Collin Johnson led Libby in scoring with five points. Jared Winslow followed his sharp-shooting Friday with a tough Saturday.

“Jared did not get a lot of looks and he did not convert the opportunities he had,” Head Coach Winslow said. “He probably needs to be in the best shape of his life to be able to handle the heavy minutes he is going to have play this season.”

The Loggers host Whitefish this Friday at 5:30.