Butte High split Class AA varsity basketball games with Missoula Big Sky Friday night.

Butte High’s boys battled back from a double-digit deficit to knock off the Eagles 66-63 in an overtime thriller at the Richardson Gym. The Bulldog girls, meanwhile, dropped a 47-41 decision to Big Sky in Missoula.

The Butte High girls already wrapped up their trip to the Class AA State tournament, which is March 12-14 in Billings. Butte High’s boys will have to beat Big Sky again in a playoff game to move on.

Big Sky and Butte will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Richardson Gym for the loser-goes-home game. Friday’s game did not change the playoff bracket at all, but it had a playoff atmosphere throughout.

BOYS
Butte High 66, Missoula Big Sky 63 (OT)
Hudson Luedtke picked a pretty good way to celebrate his 19th birthday.

The Bulldog senior guard scored 30 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 66-63 victory in overtime. He scored 15 of those points after the third quarter, including seven of Butte High’s 11 points in the four-minute extra frame.

That capped a wild victory for Butte High, which found itself in a double-digit hole in the third quarter.

While Luedtke led all scorers, he got lots of help in the clutch department. Rhett Arntson hit a big bucket late. Cayde Stajcar added a huge inside hoop to go along with some key rebounds and a block. Josh Liston stole the ball late and hit a free throw.

In all, it was a good way to celebrate Senior Night, too, as Butte High saw Stajcar, Kaleb Celli, Arntson, Luedtke, Mitch Verlanic, Liston, James Pearston, Kendel Noctor, Ryan Hanson and Jaxon Williamson all play their last regular-season home game on the court at Ross J. Richardson Gymnasium.

Liston also hit four 3-pointers and scored 13 points for the Bulldogs in the win. Verlanic finished with eight, while Arntson scored seven, and Brady Hanson tossed in six. Stajcar scored two.

Celli, Williamson, Pearston, Noctor and Ryan Hanson also contributed in the win.

Williamson played his first varsity game of the season. He has been out, recovering from Tommy John surgery that will cost him his senior year in baseball.

Jack McGowan and Eli Kasberg each scored 12 points to lead the Big Sky, which closes the regular season at 8-11 overall and 5-9 in conference. Cole Sil and Josiah Boone each scored nine points.

Big Sky also got six from Bryson Schultz, five apiece from Blake Williamson and Mason Ramos, three from Maron Fines and two from Cormack Batt.

Luedtke closes the regular season with 467 points in 19 games, an average of 24.6 points per game. That leaves him with 1,638 career points heading into the postseason. His is 59 points shy of passing Bulldog great Lexie Nelson for the most points ever scored by a high school player in Butte.

Nelson finished her career in 2010 with 1,696 points. Former BC star Dougie Peoples finished his career in 2023 with 1,683 points.

Luedtke also leads the Class AA in assists.

MISSOULA BIG SKY (8-11, 5-9) — Mason Ramos2 0-0 5, Eli Kasberg 5 2-4 12, Cole Sil 3 0-0 9, Josiah Bone 4 0-0 9, Jack McGowan 4 3-4 12, Brady Williams 0 0-0 0, Blake Williams 2 0-0 5, Cormack Batt 1 0-0 2, Maron Fines 1 1-2 3, Bryson Schultz 2 0-0 6. Totals 25 6-10 63
BUTTE HIGH (15-4, 10-4) — Cayde Stajcar 1 0-2 2, Hudson Luedtke 13 2-6 30, Mitch Verlanic 3 0-0 8, Josh Liston 4 1-2 13, Brady Hanson 2 2-4 6, James Pearston 0 0-0 0, Ryan Hanson 0 0-0 0, Kaleb Celli 0 0-0 0, Rhett Arntson 2 3-4 7, Kendel Noctor 0 0-0 0, Jaxon Williamson 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 8-18 66.
Big Sky           9          18        17        11          8 — 63
Butte               9          16        13        17        11 — 66
3-point goals — Big Sky 9 (Sil 3, Schultz 2, Bl. Williams, Ramos, Boone, McGowan), Butte 8 (Liston 4, Luedtke 2, Verlanic 2). Fouls — Big Sky 18, Butte 10. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.

GIRLS
Missoula Big Sky 47, Butte High 41
MISSOULA — Missoula Big Sky completed its undefeated Western AA record intact by holding off the second-place Bulldogs.

Avery DeCoite scored eight of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as the Eagles overtook the Bulldogs. Big Sky outscored the Dogs 16-8 in the final frame.

Kenzi Schmitz added 17 points, shooting 7 for 10 from the free throw line int the win. Lilly Johnosn scored five points for the Eagles, while Peyton Reynalds added five.

Cadence Graham and Saege Grey each scored 11 points to lead the Bulldogs, who saw seven different players find the score book. Allie Becker, Elli Graham and Emma Johnson each scored three points. Kendallyn Schad scored three, and Franki Salusso tossed in two.

Avery Barsness also contributed for the state-bound Bulldogs, who close the regular season at 12-7 overall and 10-4 in conference play.

BUTTE HIGH (12-7, 10-4) — Allie Becker 2 0-3 5, Cadence Graham 2 6-6 11, Autumn Clary 0 0-0 0, Franki Salusso 1 0-0 2, Emma Johnson 1 3-4 5, Ellia Graham 0 5-6 5, Saege Grey 3 4-6 11, Kendallyn Schad 1 1-2 3, Avery Barsness 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 19-27 41
MISSOULA BIG SKY (17-2, 14-0) — Avory DeCoit 7 6-10 21, Lilly Johnson 2 0-0 5, Tonya Kirilovich 0 0-0 0, Mya Hubbard 0 0-0 0, Kenzi Schmitz 5 7-10 17, Peyton Reynolds 1 1-2 4, Addisyn Martin 0 0-0 0, Zoe Bone 0 0-0 0. Totals15 14-22 47.
Butte               9          12        12          8 — 41
Big Sky           9          9          13        16 — 47
3-point goals — Big Sky 3 (Becker, Graham, Grey), Big Sky 3 (DeCoite, Johnson, Reynolds). Fouls — Butte 15, Big Sky 19. Fouled out — Salusso; L. Johnson. Technicals — none.