By Bill Foley

The 2024-25 basketball season is one that would have the late Pat Kearney going crazy.

That is because the school record books — a good portion of which he helped compile — have come into play early in the season. Both Butte Central and Butte High have seen performances that have sent us scrambling to check out the numbers from the greats of the past.

Butte Central sophomore Joshua Sutton brought back the name of a BC legend from not so long ago when he tied Dougie Peoples’ school record of eight made 3-pointers in a game.

Sutton drained the eight treys on his way to a 30-point performance in Friday’s 76-31 non-conference victory over Anaconda at the Maroon Activities Center. He quite possibly could have broken the record had the Maroons not called off the dogs and emptied the bench in the second half.

After all, he sank seven threes and scored 25 points before halftime.

Peoples, who is now excelling at the College of Idaho, knocked down eight 3-pointers in a home win over Corvallis in 2023. He went on to win the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year award that season.

Luke Stajcar (1999), Shaughn McKeon (2006) and Jonathan Richards (2009) shared the record of seven before peoples broke it.

Eight BC players have made six threes in a game. They are Mike Kump (1987), Dan Leary (1988), Ryan Murphy (1990), Rob O’Neill (1994), Justin Thatcher (1998), Casey Kelly (2003), Alex Murphy (2006) and Matt Ritter (2005 and 2007).

Sutton was hardly the only Maroon dialed in from behind the arc in that win. As a team, BC knocked down 19 long balls. According to the MHSA record book, that is the third best of all time in Montana.

Manhattan Christian and Melstone share the record of 22. Central’s previous best was 14 made 3-pointers against Lewistown in 2008. Those Maroons also drained 13 threes against Belgrade.

Ryan Peoples hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 points, eighth grader Noah Sutton tossed in three treys and scored nine points, and Patrick Stimatz and Owen McPartland each sank two. Stimatz scored six points, while McPartland netted nine.

Xandar Strand added nine points for BC, which got four from Burkley Lakkala and two apiece from Jaxon Hiatt and Justus McGee.

Ryder Anderson scored 11 points to lead the Copperheads.

Central’s boys improved to 3-4 with the win that completed the boys-girls sweep at the MAC.

Butte Central’s girls turned back the Copperheads 46-43 in double overtime in the opener. That game included Act 2 of the Zayonna Otherbull Breakout Show.

One week after scoring 17 points at Livingston, the 5-foot-9 freshman scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to highlight the effort that raised BC’s record to 2-5.

In all, seven BC players scored in the win. Kenzie McQueary finished with eight points, while Rylee Forbes scored seven. Also, Evyn Smith and Braelynn Schelin each scored three, and Jaedyn Maldonado and Arika Stajcar both netted two.

Meela Mitchell, a 1,000-point scorer who is making her own history in the Smelter City, scored 21 points to lead the Copperheads.

A pair of Butte High Bulldogs also invoked the school record book. With all eyes on Hudson Luedkte as the junior closes in on the school’s boys’ scoring record, sophomore Cadence Graham turned in a historic performance of her own.

Graham sank six 3-pointers and scored 33 points to lead Butte High to a 51-37 win over Missoula Hellgate at the Richardson Gym. Neither broke a school record, but they were in the conversation.

The six threes came within one of tying the school record of seven, which is shared by Hattie Thatcher (2013), Mariah Richardson (2014) and McCaul Ori (2015). Graham’s big night tied her at six with Sonja Rogers (2003) and Brianne McClafferty (2008).

The 33 points is tied for seventh best in Butte High girls’ history, tying Butte Sports Hall of Famer Deanna Dugdale (1982).

The great Lexie Nelson, Butte’s all-time leading scorer in high school hoops, holds the record with 39 points against Billings Skyview in 2010. Graham’s teammate, senior Brityn Stewart, sits at No. 2 with 36 points in a divisional tournament game in 2023. Dugdale also scored 35 in 1982, while Butte Sports Hall of Famer Debbie Silk scored 34 in 1981. Nelson also scored 34 points in two different games in 2010.

Stewart added nine points in the win over Hellgate. The Bulldogs also got two points from Dylann Bartoletti, Emma Johnson and Addie Hiatt. Autumn Clary scored one.

Two nights later, Butte High rolled its record to 6-1 overall and 2-0 on Western AA play with a 44-22 rout of Missoula Sentinel in Missoula. Stewart’s 16 points paced the Bulldogs in that win. Graham scored 12, and Johnson tossed in eight. Butte High also got five from Clary, two from Franki Salusso and one from Bartoletti.

Butte High’s boys dropped a pair of non-conference games last week. The Bulldogs fell in a 76-74 double-overtime thriller at Missoula Hellgate on Thursday. They then dropped a 53-37 decision to Missoula Sentinel at the Richardson Gym.

With the losses, Butte High fell to 4-3 overall and 0-2 in Western AA play.

Luedtke scored 31 points in the loss at Hellgate, and that earned him a nomination for the Sports Illustrated National Boys’ Athlete of the Week. Two days later, Luedtke tossed in 10 points to raise his career total to 935.

He is now 34 points away of tying Chris Rasmussen for No. 2 on Butte High’s boys’ all-time scoring list. Only John Dawson scored more points for the boys’ program at Butte High. He closed his career with 1,022 points in 73 games. Luedtke has played in 56 games.

Braylon Larson scored 18 points at Hellgate, and Dylan “Bobby” Bache added 10. The Bulldogs got seven from Torre Temple before he went down with an ankle injury. Spencer Callaghan scored six, and Brady Hansen tossed in six.

Lincoln Rogers, a 6-7 junior guard, sank four 3-pointers and threw down a dunk in traffic to lead the Spartans in Saturday’s win in Butte.

Bache’s 11 paced the Bulldogs. Tempel returned and joined Rhett Arntson with six. Larson tossed in four.

Butte High is hoping to get senior guard Tocher Lee back from a concussion this week when the Bulldogs play at Glacier and Flathead in Kalispell Friday and Saturday. Butte High’s girls will also make the trip to Kalispell.

Both Butte High teams will be back in the Butte Civic Center Friday, Jan. 24, to play Missoula Big Sky.

The Maroons play Stevensville on Saturday. The girls hit the road, while the boys play at the MAC.

Butte High sticks it to Hellgate

It wasn’t exactly a fair fight, but Butte High beat Missoula Hellgate 78-6 Tuesday night at the old Butte High gym.

The Bulldogs used nine forfeits — 54 points — to make quick work of the Knights. Joey Ward (126 pounds), Lincoln Zell (132), Bladen Horne (138) and Mason “The Duke” Swanson (190) all won by way of the pin. Renzy LeProwse (103), Kuley Queer (110), Isaac Zell (118), Bridger Garrison (144), Karson Pumnea (157), Cameron Fleege (165), Kasen O’Keefe (175), Waylond Hicks (215) and Gavin Rowe (285) won by forfeit.

The match was the last home action of the season for the Bulldogs, who picked up wins over Helena High and Helena Capital at home on Friday. Butte stuck Helena 66-17 before edging Capital 44-36.

Butte High celebrated Senior Night before the Capital match, honoring seniors Ben Tierney, Will Stepan, Jake Bailey, Braydon Pierce, Garrett Henson, Gavin Rowe, Pumnea and their parents.

Tierney (110), Rev McEwen (118), Ryder McEwen (144), Bailey (157), Bridger Brancamp and Rowe all won by pin against Helena High.  LeProwse, Darryn Rossiter (132), Jaeger Hansen (138) and Swanson won by forfeit.

Against Capital, Keegan Hunt (103), Bradey Doyle (126), Bode Hazlett (138), Ryder McEwen, Stepan, Pumnea and Rowe all pinned their opponents. Tierney won by technical fall.

On the girls’ side, the Bulldogs honored Jessie LaPeir, their lone senior, on Senior Night.

Peyton Liva picked up a pin at 100 pounds for the Bulldogs against Capital. Irelynn Cullen (105), Jessica Blow (120), Deearea Smith (125), Brooke Johnson (140), Mattie Stepan (145) and Chyanne Robinson (235) won by forfeit.

LaPier pinned her Capital opponent in 38 seconds. Smith, Keeleigh Doherty (130), Brooke Johnson (140) and Mattie Neighbor (155) also won by way of the pin. Cullen, Lilyi Malone (119), Blow, Stepan and Robinson picked up forfeit victories.

The Bulldog girls were set to compete in Dillon on Tuesday before heading to Kalispell to take on Glacier and Flathead on Thursday. Butte High will compete in the Hellgate Invitational Friday and Saturday in Missoula.   

Butte High’s boys will also go to Kalispell on Thursday before competing in the Rocky Invitational at Missoula Sentinel on Friday and Saturday. The Bulldogs will also send a team to the John Fisher Tournament Saturday at Missoula Big Sky. Butte Central’s wrestlers will compete in that meet, too.

Dogs, Maroons compete in January Splash

The Butte Family YMCA pool set the scene Saturday as Butte High hosted the January Splash. The Gallatin High girls and Bozeman boys swam to team titles.

Butte High’s girls took seventh, and the Bulldog boys took eighth. Butte Central’s teams took 12th and ninth.

Eighth Grader Adalie Grochowski placed fourth in the 100-yard freestyle and seventh in the 200 freestyle to lead the Bulldog girls. Junior, Olivia Thurmond, who is still battling back from knee surgery, took ninth in the 50 free.

Sophomore Nimalka DeAlwis took ninth in the 200 individual medley. Sophomore Sophia Fladager had a 4 second drop in the 100 backstroke to take 10th.  The 200 medley relay of Fladager, Tatum Trefts, Nimalka DeAlwis and Gracie Ferriter placed eighth. 

Trefts, Bryher Fitzpatrick, Thurmond and Grochowski captured fifth in the 200 freestyle relay. Thurmond, Delwis, Fitzpatrick and Grochowski swam to sixth in the 400 freestyle relay.

Junior Nathan Stone took sixth in the 100 butterfly and 10th in the 50 freestyle to lead the Butte High boys. Eighth grader Alex Sonnemann took ninth in the 500 free.

Freshman Elgin Hoar took 18 seconds off his 500 freestyle time to capture 10th place.

Blair Hamry, Gage Plum, Alex Sonnemann and Stone took seventh in the 400 freestyle relay and eighth in the 200 freestyle relay.

“We had a lot of personal bests today,” Butte High coach Lynn Shrader said. “I was pleased with how we did. There were 13 teams and 220 swimmers who competed. We competed well and worked hard.”

While the Maroons didn’t finish high up in the standings, Central is fielding a swimming team for the first time in many years.

Competing for BC are Joe Bradshaw, Jim Bradshaw, Connor Hardy, Robert Regester, Arwen Regester, Kherington Adams, Izzy Lopez, Carolyn Lopez, Conan Holmes and Morgan Hardy.

Butte High will compete in Great Falls this Saturday. BC’s next action is at a Butte meet on Jan. 25.

Oredigger men, women rebound

Montana Tech’s men’s and women’s basketball teams bounced back from loses at Rocky Mountain College with a pair of home sweeps.

The Orediggers swept MSU-Northern on Thursday before taking two from Carroll College Saturday at the HPER Complex. The win over Carroll was the first time the Oredigger women topped the Saints in eight years.

Hadley Humphreys scored 13 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead the Oredigger women to a 65-55 win over Northern on Thursday, and she was just getting started. The junior post player scored 20 points, grabbed five bards and dished out four assists to lead the Diggs to a 64-55 win over Carroll.

Brooklynn Hankwitz scored 15 points against Carroll. Liv Wangerin tossed in nine. The two wings upped Tech’s record to 11-5 overall and 2-1 in Frontier Conference play.

Tech’s men improved to 14-2 overall and 2-1 in league by beating Northern 82-56 before knocking off Carroll 74-67.

Michael Ure’s 20 points and nine boards led the Diggers against Northern. Ifeanyi Okeke added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Keeley Bake tossed in 15 points to go along with four dimes.

Hayden Kiekhans’ 22 points led four Orediggers in double figures scoring against Carroll. He also grabbed eight rebounds. Brayden Koch scored 16 points against his former team, while Okekey scored 12, and Bake netted 10.

The Oredigger men and women will play Montana Western Thursday in Dillon before playing host to the University of Providence on Saturday.