Butte High’s varsity basketball team split Western AA games with Missoula Big Sky Tuesday night.

The Bulldog boys went to Zootown to beat Missoula Big Sky 62-54. The Big Sky girls came to the Mining City and beat Butte High 61-53 at the Richardson Gym.

Butte High’s boys will be back in Missoula Friday to take on Missoula Sentinel. The Bulldog girls will host the Spartans at the Richardson Gym.

BOYS
Butte High 62, Missoula Big Sky 54
MISSOULA — Brady Hanson and Hudson Luedtke combined for 37 points, and the Bulldogs pulled off a bit of a rare feat.

Bulldog coach Matt Luedtke pointed out that win was just the second for Butte High in his seven years leading the program.

Hanson, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, tossed in a career-high 19 points, and Luedtke scored 18 as Butte High improved to 9-2 on the season and 4-2 in Western AA play. Josh Liston sank four 3-pointers and scored 12 points, while Cayde Stajcar tossed in seven and Rhett Arntson tallied six.

Mitch Verlanic, Kendel Noctor, James Pearston and Ryan Hanson also contributed for the Bulldogs, who led 39-22 at halftime. The Bulldogs led 19 points in the third quarter, and the Butte boys held off a Big Sky comeback attempt despite a rash of turnovers.

Cole Silberstein scored 14 points to lead the Eagles (4-6, 2-4). Jackson McGown added 10, and Eli Kasberg scored eight.

BUTTE HIGH (9-2, 4-2) — Cayde Stajcar 2 3-4 7, Hudson Luedtke 6 3-7 18, Mitch Verlanic 0 0-0 0, Josh Liston 4 0-0 12, Brady Hanson 8 3-4 19, Rhett Arntson 1 3-3 6, James Pearston 0 0-0 0, Kendel Noctor 0 0-0 0, Ryan Hanson 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 12-18 62.
MISSOULA BIG SKY (4-6, 2-4) — Brady Williams 2 1-2 5, Blake Williams 2 0-0 5, Eli Kasberg 3 1-2 8, Cole Silberstein 4 1-2 14, Josiah Boone 2 0-0 4, Jackson McGown 2 6-6 10, Cormack Batt 2 2-4 6, Mason Fines 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 11-16 54.
Butte               17        22        9          14 — 62
Big Sky           10        12        15        17 — 54
3-point goals — Butte 8 (Liston 4, Luedtke 3, Arntson), Big Sky 5 (Silberstein 3, Kasberg, Bl. Williams). Fouls — Butte 13, Big Sky 14. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.

GIRLS
Missoula Big Sky 61, Butte High 53
The Eagles strengthened their stronghold on first place in the Western AA with the hard-fought victory in a physical game.

Sophomore Kenzie Schmitz scored inside and out on her way to a game-high 26 points to lead the way for the Eagles, who improved to 9-2 overall and 6-0 in conference play. The 6-foot Schmitz hit a pair of 3-pointer in the win,

Senior guard Avory DeCoite added 19 points in the win, scoring 11 from the free throw line.

Cadence Graham scored 10 of her 15 points from the stripe to lead three Bulldogs in double figures. Elli Graham sank four 3-pointers and scored 14 points, and Allie Becker added 10.

Emma Johnson scored six points for Butte High, while Saege Grey and Franki Salusso each added four. Autumn Clary and Kendallyn Schad also contributed for the Bulldogs, who fell to 6-5 and 4-2.

MISSOULA BIG SKY (9-2, 6-0) — Avery DeCoite 4 11-14 19, Lilly Johnson 1 2-4 5, Tanya Kirilovich 2 0-2 5, Mya Hubbard 1 1-3 3, Kenzie Schmitz 9 6-8 26, Petyon Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Zoe Boone 1 1-2 3. Totals 18 21-33 61.
BUTTE HIGH (6-5, 4-2) — Allie Becker 3 4-11 10, Cadence Graham 2 10-11 15, Autumn Clary 0 0-2 0, Franki Salusso 0 4-4 4, Emma Johnson 2 1-2 6, Elli Graham 4 2-2 14, Saege Grey 1 2-6 4, Kendallyn Schad 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 23-38 53.
Big Sky           11        16        15        19 — 61
Butte               10        15        13        15 — 53
3-point goals — Big Sky 4 (Schmitz 2, Johnson, Kirilovich), Butte 6 (E. Graham 4, C. Graham, Johnson). Fouls — Big Sky 24, Butte 23. Fouled out — Kirilovich, Hubbard, C. Graham, Salusso. Technicals — none.