Cadence Graham called it a win that was on the minds of the Bulldogs for years.

The Butte High sophomore definitely played that way Friday night at a jam-packed Richardson Gym, too.

Graham hit a 3-pointer a minute into the game to put the Bulldogs up for good, and Butte High never trailed in a 62-55 Western AA playoff win over Helena Capital.

The win sends the Bulldogs to the Class AA State tournament, which begins Thursday in Bozeman.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Graham said after pouring in a game-high 20 points. “We have been chasing this goal for two years now. Finally, it’s a dream come true that it happened and we’re going there.”

The 5-foot-6 guard dished out five assists, collected three steals and pulled down three rebounds as Butte (14-6) beat the Bruins for the third time this season. But she was hardly the only Bulldog with a bigtime performance when it mattered most.

Senior Dylann Bartoletti contributed in a big way, scoring 12 points. She hit 5 of 6 free throws in the second half.

Sophomore Allie Becker came off the bench to score nine points, while eighth grader Ellison Graham hit two threes and scored eight off the bench.

“We had some girls who really stepped up today, and that was good,” Cadence Graham said. “I knew we were capable of it. I was a little nervous, but we’re kind of that team that can handle that pressure.”

Butte High led 18-98 after the first quarter, and the Bulldogs led 35-20 after closing out the first half with an 11-5 run.

Capital, though, did not go down without a fight. Junior Ali Miller scored 12 of her team-leading 14 points in the second half to lead the Bruin Charge. Sophomore Madi Emmert scored nine of her 13 after the break.

Junior Eva Dahlquist scored all of her 11 points in the second half.

Capital (8-12) trailed 49-36 after three, and the Bruins pulled to within 54-52 with a 16-5 run to open the final frame.

Bartoletti, though, stopped the bleeding with 2 minutes, 22 seconds left, scoring off a Cadence Graham assist. She scored off another assist from Graham with 1 minute left to extend the lead to 58-52.

After Graham hit one of two free throws, Emmert turned a three-point play to pull within 59-55 with 19 seconds left.

Butte High, though, iced the win when junior Franki Salusso hit one of two free tosses before Bartoletti stepped up and hit two.

“Even though they were down, they came back and hit shots,” Cadence Graham said, praising the effort of the Bruins. “They were never out of it.”

Senior Brityn Stewart, the leader of the team, added six points, while Salusso scored five and junior Emma Johnson knocked in two.

Senior Sidney Whitaker started and contributed in the win. Sophomore Autumn Clary also contributed off the bench.

Kate Drynan scored six points for Capital, which got four from Cailin Mohar, three from Jaiden Grooms, and two apiece from Kadee Cummings and Taylor Zanto.

Cadence Graham said the Bulldogs also got an assist from the crowd, which was standing-room only in a gym that was built to seat about 2,000.

“The student section is just crazy,” Graham said. “It feels like all the town is here.”

The Bulldogs will open the tournament at 6:30 p.m. Thursday against Gallatin, the No. 2 seed for the Eastern AA.

HELENA CAPITAL (8-12) — Eva Dahlquist 4 0-0 11, Ali Miller 5 2-6 14, Madi Emmert 5 3-4 13, Kate Drynan 3 0-3 6, Taylor Zanto 1 0-0 2, Chloe LaFromboise 0 0-0 0, Kadee Cummings 1 0-0 2, Jaiden Grooms 1 1-2 3, Cailin Mohar 2 0-0 4, Greta Hageman 0 0-0 0, Jaci Lyman 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 6-15 55.
BUTTE HIGH (14-6) — Dylann Bartoletti 3 6-8 12, Cadence Graham 6 7-9 20, Sidney Whitaker 0 0-0 0, Brityn Stewart 2 0-0 6, Franki Salusso 2 1-1 5, Allie Becker 3 3-8 9, Emma Johnson 0 2-2 2, Ellison Graham 3 0-0 8, Autumn Clary 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 19-29 62.
Capital           8          12        16        19 — 55
Butte               18        17        14        13 — 62
3-point goals — Capital 5 (Dahlquist 3, Miller 2), Butte 5 (Stewart 2, E. Graham 2, C. Graham). Fouls — Capital 24, Butte 16. Fouled out — Drynan. Technical — Butte.