Butte High basketball players Franki Salusso and Tocher Lee are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.

The honors come after the Butte Civic Center hosted the Western AA Divisional basketball tournaments.

Salusso, a 5-foot-5 sophomore, takes home the girls’ honor after another strong performance off the bench for the Bulldogs. She logged about 32 total minutes in Butte High’s two tournament games, tough losses to Helena High and Kalispell Glacier.

She scored a total of four points and grabbed four rebounds. She also dished out a pair of assists, but the stat line does not tell the story. Like she has done all season, Salusso was a force for the Bulldogs on the defensive side of the ball.

Salusso appeared in all 20 games this season, and looks to be a force for the Bulldogs the next two seasons.

Lee takes one the boys’ award for the second time this season after hitting one of the biggest shots in Butte High history.

The 5-8 junior hit an NBA-range 3-point shot with 2.5 seconds left to send Butte High to the Class AA State tournament in Missoula. The clutch bucket turned a 56-55 deficit into a 58-55 Bulldog victory, sending the Butte crowd into pandemonium.

Lee scored 24 points in the win that clinched a Bulldog trip to State for the fifth straight season. Lee also took home Athlete of the Week honors after helping the Bulldogs beat Butte Central in December.

For the second year, Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, is teaming up with the ButteCast to honor the finest athletes from the Mining City in an effort to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.Photos of Salusso and Lee courtesy Alycia Holland Photography.