By Bill Foley

All eyes will be on Hudson Luedtke Thursday as the Butte High boys’ basketball team takes on Helena High Thursday at the Richardson Gym.

The Butte High junior needs just 20 points to pass the late John Dawson as the top boy scorer in school history. Luedtke has surpassed 20 points in six of Butte High’s 10 games this season. That includes two games with 31 points.

In Helena, meanwhile, Bulldog sophomore Cadence Graham will continue her march up the Bulldog scoring list. Graham, the first Butte High player to log varsity time as an eighth grader, has quickly amassed more than 600 points on her career.

With 658 career points, Graham has already cracked the top 10 in Bulldog girl history. With a bullet.

While she has a long way to go, Graham is clearly on pace to become just the second Butte High girl to score 1,000 points in her career. The first was the great Lexie Nelson, whose 1,696 points scored from 2007 through 2010 are the most scored by any girl or boy in Mining City high school history.

Graham is just five points away from passing Butte Sports Hall of Famer Deanna Dugdale for No. 9 on the Butte High girls’ all-time scoring list. Dugdale scored 662 points from 1980 through 1982.

Joey O’Neill (669), JoeEllen Roesti (672), Gwenn Abbott (672) and Natalee Faupel (681) could also be passed in the coming games.

Graham scored a game-high 27 points as the Bulldogs fell in a 58-55 overtime thriller to Missoula Big Sky Friday night at the Butte Civic Center. Graham sank four 3-pointers and shot 7 for 8 from the free throw line in the game, which marked the sixth time she scored at least 20 points in a game this season.

Graham scored a career-high 33 points Butte High’s Jan. 9 51-37 home win over Missoula Hellgate. Through 10 games, Graham has scored 196 points in her sophomore season.

She scored 165 as an eighth grader and 297 as a freshman.

Classmate Brityn Stewart, a senior, is also on the verge of moving into the top 10. Stewart has 595 points on her career. After scoring 20 as a freshman, Stewart followed with 198 and 240 as a sophomore and junior. She has 137 points so far this season.

Kenzi Schnitz scored 23 points to lead the Eagles, who improved to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in Western AA play. Butte High fell to 7-3 and 3-2.

Stewart scored nine points for the Bulldogs, while Franki Salusso poured in eight. The Dogs got four from Emma Johnson, three from Ellison Graham and two apiece from Dylann Bartoletti and Addie Hiatt. Sidney Whitaker also contributed for the Bulldogs.

After the Butte High girls dropped the heartbreaker, the Bulldog boys beat Big Sky 51-44 for their third straight win in the nightcap of the doubleheader. The streak lifts Butte to 7-3 and 3-2.

Luedtke’s 18 points made him just the second Butte High boy to score more than 1,000 points in a career. He has 1,003 since joining the Bulldog starting lineup as a freshman. Dawson, a 1968 graduate, finished his career with 1,022 points.

(See more about Dawson and Luedtke in this week’s Tap ’er Light column.)

Dylan “Bobby” Bache added 17 hard-earned points for the Bulldogs in the win. Tocher Lee, who returned to the lineup after missing the previous five games with a concussion, joined Torre Tempel with six points. Braylon Larson scored four for Butte, which got contributions from Spencer Callaghan, Kendel Noctor, Brady Hanson and Raeder Grey.

After hosting Helena High on Thursday, Butte High’s boys will play at Helena Capital on Saturday. The Bulldog girls will host the Bruins in Butte after traveling to the Capital City to face the Bruins on Thursday.

Stajcar steal preserves Butte Central win

Butte Central’s girls’ basketball team bounced back from a 51-15 home loss to Frenchtown on Thursday with an inspired 38-35 win over Hamilton Saturday at the Maroon Activities Center.

Freshmen Kenzie McQueary and Zayonna Otherbull combined to score 28 of Butte Central’s points. McQueary netted 16 points, while Otherbull scored 12 points while giving the Maroons a force on the boards.

However, junior Arika Stajcar made the play of the game, forcing a steal in the final seconds to stop the surging Eagles from getting off a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer.

That was a welcome sight to the BC faithful who had just watched Hamilton star Canaan Magnus hit a contested pull-up jumper with 1.8 seconds left to give the Broncs a 62-60 win over the BC boys.

The Maroon girls are now 4-6 overall and 2-1, and BC does not have a senior on the roster. Central has five freshmen — Evyn Smith, Braelynn Schelin and Jaedyn Maldonado are the other three — who contribute regularly along with sophomores Marly Mansanti, Rylee Forbes and Meika Boyer, and juniors Caden Tippett and Stajcar.

The loss to Hamilton was not the only gut-wrenching loss of the week for the BC boys. Central fell 62-57 Thursday in Frenchtown.

Junior Ryan Peoples missed that trip because of an illness, and he was far from 100 percent when he played against the Broncs.

Hank Smith poured in 29 points to lead Frenchtown on Thursday. Teammate Cooper Michaud added 17.

Sophomore Joshua Sutton netted 27 points to lead the Maroons Owen McPartland scored nine, while Cade “Buzz” Kelly scored six and Patrick Stimatz tossed in five.

On Saturday, Magnus hit four 3-pointers and tossed in 25 points to lead Hamilton, which bounced back from Friday’s loss to Dillon.

McPartland scored 26, but the Maroons couldn’t get him a good look after Magnus’ dagger in the MAC. Peoples and Sutton both scored 13.

Butte Central’s boys and girls will be at home Thursday for a huge doubleheader against two 10-1 Dillon teams. The Dillon girls are 3-1 in conference, while the defending Class A State champion boys are 3-0.

On Saturday, the BC boys will play host to Corvallis. Central’s girls will hit the road to play the Blue Devils.

Bulldogs swim to second, fourth

Butte High’s swimming teams put up impressive showings Saturday during the Butte High Montana Classic at the Butte Family YMCA.

“There were some great showings today,” Butte High coach Lynn Shrader said after the big day in the pool.

Butte High’s girls placed second, while the boys took fourth.

Billings West won the girls’ title with 568 points. Butte High was second in the eight-team meet with 263. Missoula Sentinel followed at 252.

West also won the boys’ crown with 468 points. Missoula Hellgate was second at 428, followed by Billings Skyview at 324 and Butte high at 198.

Butte High’s girls had a handful of leaders in their best showing of the season. Junior Olivia Thurmond, who is battling back from a knee surgery, placed third in the 50-yard freestyle race, while eighth grader Adalie Grochowski placed fifth in the 100 butterfly and eighth in the 200 freestyle.

Grochowski posted a personal-best time in the butterfly.

Sophomore Sophia Fladager registered a PR in the 50 freestyle to take eighth place. She also finished eighth in the 500 freestyle. Junior Tatum Trefts took placed third in the 100 breaststroke and ninth in the 200 individual medley.

Also, sophomore Nimalka DeAlwis took eighth in the 100 butterfly.

Butte High’s girls stood out in the relay races, too. The 200 Medley A team of Grochowski, Trefts, Nimalka DeAlwis and Thurmond swam to fourth place. The B team of Fladager, Elly Rumer, Bryher Fitzpatrick and Bella Corrales placed sixth.

In the 200 freestyle relay, Butte High’s A team of Thurmond, Fitzpatrick, Fladager and Grochowski placed fourth. The team of Corrales, DeAlwis, Gracie Ferriter and Amy Fladger placed eighth.

Butte’s 400 freestyle relay team of Ferriter, Trefts, Rumer and Amy Fladager finished sixth.

On the boys’ side, junior Nathan Stone once again did not live up to his last name. This Stone can swim.

Stone posted a PR to place third in the 200 individual medley. He also placed fifth in the 100 freestyle to lead the Bulldogs.

Sophomore Gage Plum placed fifth in the 500 freestyle, and freshman Tucker Kissell shaved four seconds off his PR to place eighth in the 200 freestyle. Alex Sonnemann finished ninth in the 100 butterfly.

Senior Blair Hamry took 3 seconds off his best 200 freestyle time to place 10th.

Elgin Hoar, Gunnar Benson, Alex Sonnemann, and Gage Plum swam to fourth place in the 200 freestyle team. Butte’s B team of Grayson Lynch, Ayvahn Mann, Jorden Sonnemann and Levi Balentine took ninth in that event.

Kissell, Hamry, Hoar and Stone placed fourth in the 400 freestyle relay.

“There were many best times today, even though not everyone placed,” Shrader said. “Everyone swam hard today and did their very best. There are two more meets before state, and everyone is working hard to make the top 32 that will earn them a state spot.”

The Bulldogs will compete in anther meet at the YMCA this Friday. They go to Missoula for a meet on Saturday.

Butte Central’s boys placed sixth with 93 team points. The BC girls scored 19 points.

Connor Hardy lead the Maroons. He placed third in the 100 backstroke and eighth in the 200 individual medley.

Also competing for the Maroons were Morgan Hardy, Kherington Adams, Jim Bradshaw, Izzy Lopez, Carolyn Lopez, Conan Holmes, Robert Regester, Joe Bradshaw and Arwen Regester.

Bulldog boys place fourth at AA Duals

Butte High’s boys’ wrestlers showed that they are ready for the postseason Saturday, placing fourth at the 16-team Montana AA Duals at Great Falls High.

The Bulldogs beat Belgrade 51-29 before topping Great Falls Russell 48-31 to advance to the semis. In the final four, Butte fell 69-12 to eventual champion Billings West.

Heading into to the meet, Bulldog coach Cory Johnston said his team is getting ready for the postseason. He said he had seen enough from his Bulldogs to know where they stand.

Competing for the Bulldogs were Keegan Hunt, Renzy LeProwse, Kuley Queer, Ben Tierney, Reveles McEwen, Bradey Doyle, Isaac Zell, Darryn Rossiter, Lincoln Zell, Joseph Ward, Bode Hazlett, Ryder McEwen, Jaeger Hansen, Bridger Garrison, Will Stepan, Finn Wortham, Karson Pumnea, Jake Bailey, Cameron Fleege, Reece Cunneen, Bridger Brancamp, Kasen O’Keefe, Braydon Pierce, Mason Swanson, Garrett Henson, Waylond Hicks and Gavin Rowe.

Meet results are available at trackwrestling.com.

Butte High’s girls had a busy week, competing in Missoula and Lewistown. They headed to Belgrade for a mixer on Monday before taking on Belgrade and Gallatin on the road on Tuesday night.

Butte High’s boys also took on Belgrade and Gallatin on Tuesday.

The Bulldog teams will then have some down time to get ready for the divisional qualifying meets, which run Feb. 7-8 in Kalispell.

The state wrestling meets are Feb. 14-15 in Billings.