WHITEFISH — Sometimes a heroic effort is just not enough.

Heroic, or maybe legendary, is the only way you can describe the performance by Butte Central senior Owen McPartland Friday afternoon at the Western A Divisional tournament.

McPartland scored 22 of his game-high 42 points in the fourth quarter, but the Maroons fell short in a 73-71 loss to Bigfork in a loser-out game at Whitefish High School.

The loss means BC’s 10-year streak of qualifying for the Class A State tournament has come to an end. The last time the Central boys didn’t play in the last weekend of the season was in 2014.

This year marks just the third time in 21 seasons under head coach Brodie Kelly that the Maroons will not be playing at State.

Central closes the 2024-25 campaign at 9-11. The Vikings (9-13), who are coached by Butte Central graduate John Mike Hollow, will continue their postseason run with another loser-out game at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Bigfork will play the loser of tonight’s semifinal between Frenchtown and Browning.

The Maroons season did not end without a fight. BC trailed by double figures much of the game, but the determined BC boys nearly pulled a rabbit out of their hat.

McPartland led the fight as he tied Mike McLeod for No. 2 on BC’s single-game scoring list. Dougie Peoples broke McLeod’s record, which was set in 1981, with a 44-point performance in 2023. Tom Kenney scored 41 points in BC’s 99-97 double-overtime loss to Livingston in the 1985 Class A State championship game.

McPartland, who sank seven 3-pointer sand shot 7 for 7 from the free throw line, drilled a half-court shot at the buzzer. That came after the Bulldogs extended the lead to 73-68 from the free throw line.

Free throws and rebounding were the key to the game for the Vikings. As a team, Bigfork sank 14 of 21 free throws in the fourth quarter. The Maroons were forced to foul, and the Vikings hit just enough free throws to fend them off.

Austin Savik scored 12 of his team-leading 21 points in the fourth quarter for Bigfork. Alex Ochs added 15 points, while Tamret Savik scored 14.

Sophomore Joshua Sutton added 14 points for the Maroons. Classmate GG Fantini tossed in nine points, while freshman Jaxon Hiatt and senior Patrick Stimatz each sank a 3-pointer.

Junior Ryan Peoples, senior Justus McGee, sophomore Cade “Buzz” Kelly and eighth grader Noah Sutton also contributed for the Maroons, whose travel team also included junior Xander Strand, sophomores Burkley Lakkala and Grady Button, and eighth grader Henly Mansanti.

BIGFORK (9-13) — Quinn Herring 0 0-0 0, Trecker Hickey 6 5-6 19, Austin Savik 5 10-13 21, Alex Ochs 5 2-3 15, Jake Lucke 1 2-4 4, Tamret Savik 5 4-5 14, Grady Campbell 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 23-31 73.
BUTTE CENTRAL (9-11) — Ryan Peoples 0 0-0 0, Joshua Sutton 5 2-2 14, GG Fantini 4 1-1 9, Jaxon Hiatt 1 0-0 3, Owen McPartland 14 7-7 42, Patrick Stimatz 1 0-0 3, Cade Kelly 0 0-2 0, Noah Sutton 0 0-0 0, Justus McGee 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 10-12 71.
Bigfork           16        15        13        29 — 73
Central           12        8          20        31 — 71
3-point goals — Bigfork 6 (Ochs 3, Hickey 2, A. Savik), BC 11 (McPartland 7, J. Sutton 2, Hiatt, Stimatz). Fouls — Bigfork 17, BC 26. Fouled out — T. Savik, Peoples, Stimatz, Hiatt. Technicals — none.