BC opens Western A Divisional; Johnston takes game to Dickinson
The season comes down to one game for the Butte High boys’ basketball team.
Missoula Big Sky will come to town for the second time in seven days to take on the Bulldogs. This time, it is do or die for both teams.
The Western AA playoff game tips off at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Ross J. Richardson Memorial Gymnasium.
Butte High is looking for its third win over the Eagles, who come to town at 8-11. The Bulldogs won 62-54 Jan. 27 in Missoula. They completed the regular-season sweep by overcoming a double-digit deficit and knocking off Big Sky in a 66-63 overtime thriller last Friday at a rocking Ricardson Gym.
The winner or Round 3 moves on to play in next weeks’ Class AA State tournament in Billings. A Butte High win would mean the Bulldogs open the State tournament against Great Falls Russell at noon next Thursday.
The Bulldogs finished the regular season at 15-4 overall. That is the most regular-season wins for Butte High since 2007, when the Bulldogs advanced to the Class AA State championship game. At 10-4 in conference, the Bulldogs finished with the No. 3 seed from the Western AA.
The top teams automatically advanced to the State tournament, and the bottom two teams see their season come to an end. At 5-9 in conference, the Eagles finished with the No. 6 seed.
On Friday, the Eagles connected on nine 3-pointers as they jumped out quickly against the Bulldogs.
Junior Eli Kasberg and freshman Jack McGowan each scored 12 points to lead Big Sky in that game. Senior Cole Silberstein hit three 3-pointers and joined classmate Josiah Boone with nine points.
That is the kind of balance the Eagles have experienced all season. Only Boone averaged in double figures scoring on the season. McGown, Silberstein and Kasberg all averaged between 8 and 9 points per game.
Senior Hudson Luedtke scored 15 of his game-high 30 points after the third quarter to lead the Bulldogs in the win. He averaged 24.7 points per game during the regular season. He also led the Class AA in assists.
Classmate Josh Liston hit four 3-pointers and scored 13 points in the victory. Senior Rhett Arntson came off the bench for seven points, and senior Mitch Verlanic scored eight points. Brady Hanson, a 6-foot-8 sophomore, scored six.
Senior Cayde Stajcar, a defensive and rebounding force for the Bulldogs, scored two points in a game that saw seniors James Pearston, Kendel Noctor, Kaleb Celli and Ryan Hanson contribute.
Juniors Raeder Grey, Brady Walsh and Koda Schleeman and sophomores Koyde Kjersten and Noah Powers also saw varsity time for the Bulldogs this season.
Senior Jaxon Williamson played his first varsity game against the Eagles. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow in the fall. That injury will rob him of his senior baseball season, but he now has the chance to contribute for the Bulldogs in the basketball postseason.
Williamson served the team as a manager until he was medically cleared.
Butte High, which dropped a home playoff game to Missoula Sentinel last year, is looking to book a trip to the Class AA State tournament for the sixth time in seven years under head coach Matt Luedtke.
Indians up first for Maroons
Butte Central’s boys’ basketball team will open the Western A Divisional the same way they opened the season. They will play Browning. (Bracket)
The Maroons and Indians will meet at 3:30 p.m. Thursday on Hamilton’s Dale Berry Court. Central beat Browning 67-55 in a tipoff tournament Dec. 12 in Frenchtown.
Junior Joshua Sutton scored 25 points to lead three Maroons in double figures scoring in that win. Sophomore Jaxon Hiatt scored 18, and junior GG Fantini added 14.
Shayde St. Goddard scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Indians. Reis Reevis added 11 points, and Josh Skunkcap scored nine.
Skunkcap and Royce Madplume each average 10.1 points per game to lead the Indians. Royce Reevis averages 9.6 points, and St. Goddard, a 6-8 senior, adds 8.7 points and 9.9 rebounds.
Browning finished the regular season at 11-7 overall. The Indians secured the No. 3 seed from the Northwestern A with an 8-4 conference record. The Indians closed the season with convincing wins over Libby and Polson. Those wins, though, followed a three-game losing streak, with losses coming to Bigfork, Ronan and Columbia Falls.
The Maroons head to postseason play at 15-3 overall. At 8-2 in conference, they tied for first place in the Southwestern A with Dillon and Frenchtown. After a three-way tiebreaker, Frenchtown took the top seed. BC finished second, and Dillon takes the No. 3 seed.
Sutton averaged 19.8 points per game in the regular season. He connected on 45 percent of his 3-poitn attempts, sinking 55.
Ryan Peoples, a 6-2 senior, averages 11.9 points per game. He surged toward the end of the season as he adapted to a bit of a different role for the Maroons. He is relying less on 3-point shooting and taking the ball to the hoop more.
Hiatt, a 6-foot sophomore, adds 9.9 points and a team-best 5.7 rebounds to the BC lineup, which is rounded out by juniors Cade Kelly and Fantini.
Junior Burkley Lakkala and freshmen Henly Mansanti are the first off the bench for the Maroons.
Juniors Gunnar O’Brien, Grady Button and Teghan Sparks also see time for the Maroons.
The Maroons are in the same side of the bracket as Ronan (15-3) and Hamilton (7-12), who play at 5 p.m. Thursday. The winners play in Friday’s 5 p.m. semifinal.
On the top half of the bracket, Columbia Falls (14-4) meets Dillon (12-6) at 9 a.m., and Frenchtown (14-4) battles Polson (10-10) at 10:30.
The top four teams move on. Central is looking to return to the dance after a rare year off.
In 22 seasons under head coach Brodie Kelly, the Maroons have qualified for the Class A State tournament 18 times.
Bulldog girls have week off
Butte High’s girls’ basketball team is getting ready to play in the Class AA State tournament.
This will mark the first consecutive trips to state for the Bulldog program since the late Jeff Arntson led to them to the dance eight straight seasons from 2006 through 2013.
At 12-7 overall and 10-4 in conference, the Bulldogs are the No. 2 seed from the Western AA. They will open the Class AA State tournament at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, at MetraPark First Interstate Arena.
Their opponent remains to be seen.
If Billings Senior beats Bozeman Thursday in Billings, the Bulldogs will take on the Broncs in the first round. If Bozeman wins, the Bulldogs will take on the winner of the Great Falls Russell-Billings Skyview game.
That game will be played Thursday in Great Falls.
Johnston signing with Dickinson
Butte High golfer Keeley Johnston will take her talents to Dickinson State.
The Bulldog senior will sign to play golf for the Blue Hawks at 9 a.m. on Wednesday at Butte High’s Richardson Gym.
The signing will come after Johnston’s outstanding senior season for the Bulldogs. She placed 19th at the Class AA State tournament at the Butte Country Club in October, missing out on All-State recognition by just three shots.
A week earlier, Johnston tied for 10th place at the Western AA Divisional tournament in Kalispell.
Early in the season, Johnston hit a hole-in-one the 115-yard hole No. 8 at The Ranch Colf Club in Missoula. That shot helped her tie for third place at the Missoula Invitational.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 