Cadence Graham did not want to move to Butte. It was hard to blame her, either.

She was about to be an eighth grader in Belt. She was looking forward to continuing school and sports with her friends.

But Montana Tech hired her father, Jeff, to coach the women’s basketball team, and the family moved to the Mining City in the summer of 2022. It turned out to be a very good move for Montana Tech, Cadence Graham and the Butte High Bulldogs.

Cadence started playing basketball for the Bulldogs as an eighth grader at East Middle School. She split time between junior varsity and varsity before taking a larger role with the varsity team. She then led the team in scoring in a win over Butte Central.

Last Friday, Cadence became just the second Butte High girl to join the 1,000-point club. She also runs track for the Bulldogs, and she plays libero on the Bulldog volleyball team.

Since she is just a junior, Bulldog fans still have a lot more time to watch Cadence as she tries to help lead the Bulldog basketball team back to the Class AA State tournament. She also has time to make a run at Lexi Nelson’s school record of 1,696 points.

Listen in to this episode as Cadence she talks about how difficult it was for her to leave Belt for the Mining City. Listen as she talks about growing up with two coaches as parents. Her mother, Megan, is in the Montana Western Hall of Fame for hoops.

Listen as she talks about playing for Bryan Arntson and fighting at practice with her sister, Ellison. Listen to her big plans for the 2025-26 Bulldogs.

Listen in to hear that she realized moving to Butte turned out to be a very good thing.

Today’s podcast is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat. This episode is also available on YouTube: