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Sutton turns three, Maroons stay alive
GREAT FALLS — Joshua Sutton went coast to coast and turned an old-fashioned three-point play with 2 seconds left Saturday to keep Butte Central’s season alive.
The bucket and free throw gave Butte Central a 55-52 win over Ronan Friday morning at the Class A boys’ basketball tournament at the Four Seasons Arena. (Stats)
The Maroons will play a loser-out game again 9 a.m.
A win tomorrow morning would send the Maroons to the third-place game at 3:30 p.m.
The Maroons outscored Ronan 19-12 in the fourth quarter to avenge a loss to the Chiefs in the semifinals of last week’s Western A Divisional tournament in Hamilton.
Sutton, a junior, finished the game with 12 points.
Senior Ryan Poeples scored a team-leading 23 points for the second straight game to lead BC in the win. The Maroons got six from Jaxon Hiatt, five from Cade Kelly and four from Noah Sutton. The Sutton brothers and Hiatt each handed out three assists.
Hiatt grabbed a team-best eight rebounds. Henly Mansanti, GG Fantini and Burkley Lakkala also contributed for the Maroons, who improved to 18-6.
Siouxpixm Qualtier scored 17 points to lead four Chiefs in double figures. Kolby Finley scored 14, Matiya Nenemay tossed in 11, and Jhett McDonald scored 10.
Finley also pulled down 13 rebounds and handed out 10 assists.
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Copperheads advance to Class B semis
BOZEMAN — Anaconda’s magical postseason run continued today at the Class B State boys’ basketball tournament.
Three Copperheads scored in double figures as Anaconda opened the tournament with a 48-43 win over Shepherd at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. (Stats)
The victory sends the Copperheads to Friday’s 6:30 p.m. semifinal. (Bracket)
Ryder Anderson scored 12 points to lead the way, while Brody Galle and Travis Dye each scored 10 points. Shane Shalk added eight points for the balanced Copperhead attack that also got six from Jesse Jones.
Kyson Patrick scored two points, while Treyton Patrick and Carson Lacey also contributed to the Anaconda win.
Brayden Cook scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Mustangs. Hudson Handerson scored eight.
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Second half dooms Maroons
GREAT FALLS — At halftime, it looked like a trip to the semifinals of the Class A State boys’ basketball tournament was on the table for the Butte Central Maroons.
Billings Central, though, had other things to say in the second half.
The Rams outscored the Maroons 42-17 after the break, turning a one-point game into a 71-45 victory at Four Seasons Arena. (Stats)
Billings Central will head to the semifinals to take on Lockwood, which beat Ronan 65053 in the first game of the tournament. The Maroons will battle Ronan in a 9 a.m. loser-out game on Friday.
Darcy Merchant Jr. and Toby Stewart each scored 20 points to lead the Rams (19-2), who won their 14th straight game. Howie Martin and Will Snell each scored eight points, and Paxton Prill tossed in six.
Senior Ryan Peoples scored 23 points to lead the Maroons, who fell to 17-6. Joshua Sutton scored 16.
Butte Central also got three points from Jaxon Hiatt, two from Noah Sutton and one from GG Fantini. Cade Kelly, Henly Mansanti and Burkley Lakkala played for BC, too.
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Broncs top Bulldogs in morning opener
BILLINGS — Butte High made a bigtime comeback against Billings Senior Thursday morning in the first game of the Class AA State girls’ basketball tournament at the Metra.
Butte used a 12-0 run to erase an 11-point fourth quarter deficit and take the lead.
However, a couple of huge 3-pointers by Senior’s Bella Ferguson proved to be too costly for the Bulldogs, and Butte High was sent to loser-out play with a 57-50 loss. (Stats)
Senior advances to the semifinals to battle defending champion Gallatin, which beat Hellena High 74-28 after the Bulldog-Senior game.
Butte High will set its sights on third place. The Bulldogs will take on Helena High at 9 a.m. on Friday.
Ferguson hit five 3-pointers and scored 18 points to lead the Broncs, who improved to 14-7. Eva Blatchford scored 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. Abigail Madinger added nine points, and Payton Tryan tossed in eight.
Junior Cadence Graham hit four 3-pointers and poured in 29 points to lead the Bulldogs, who fell to 12-8.
Freshman Ellie Graham scored eight points, that includes a 3-pointer from well beyond NBA range during Butte High’s fourth quarter run.
Allie Becker added five points, while Saege Grey scored four, and Franki Salusso and Emma Johnson each scored two.
Autum Clary and Kendallyn Schad also competed for the Bulldogs.
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Bulldog girls, BC boys head to State
Butte High’s girls and Butte Central’s boys will have early wakeup calls Thursday.
The Bulldogs open the Class AA State tournament at 9 a.m. against Billings Senior at MetraPark First Interstate Arena in Billings. The Maroons, meanwhile, will battle Billings Central in the Class A State tournament at 10:30 a.m. at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.
(Class AA girls’ bracket; Class A boys’ bracket)nelson
Butte High gets the early game because the bracket was flipped to accommodate the most hometown fans. Billings West and Billings Skyview are in the other side of the bracket, and Class AA rules allow the bracket swap to get more fans to attend the games.
The tournament opener will be Butte High’s first game of March. The Bulldogs last played Feb. 27, falling 47-41 to Missoula Big Sky. The Eagles (17-2) are the top seed from the Western AA, while the Bulldogs (12-7) are No. 2.
Senior beat Bozeman 54-41 in an Eastern AA playoff game last Thursday in Billings. Eva Blatchford and Balla Ferguson combined for 34 points in that win. Blatchford, a 6-foot senior, scored 18 points, and Ferguson, a 5-9 junior, tossed in 16.
Both players average in double figures scoring. Blatchford averages 14.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Ferguson adds 10.6 points to the lineup.
Abigail Madinger, a 5-8 sophomore, scores 8.0 points per game, while 6-foot junior Fayth Smith contributes with 5.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
At 8-6 in conference, the Broncs finished third in the Eastern AA, behind defending Class AA State champion Gallatin (19-0) and Billings West (17-2).
The Bulldogs went 10-4 in conference play to qualify for the State tournament for the second straight season. They did not play Senior in the regular season.
Junior guard Cadence Graham leads the Bulldogs into the tournament. She is averaging 19.7 points per game on the season. Graham also averages 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
In four games at State last year, Graham scored 84 points (an average of 21.0 points per game).
Junior Allie Becker averages 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs, whose starting lineup also includes junior Autumn Clary and seniors Franki Salusso and Emma Johnson.
Junior Kendallyn Schad and freshmen Saege Grey and Elli Graham are the first players off the bench. Elli Graham hit 30 3-pointers this season — which is second only to Cadence Graham’s 48. She is averaging 7.4 points per game.
Grey adds 6.4 points and a team-best 6.5 rebounds. Grey and Elli Graham also played in junior varsity games this season.
Juniors Avery Barsness, Elli Yates and Reese Johnson also saw varsity time for the Bulldogs, as did sophomore Stella Callaghan.
The winner of the Butte-Senior game will likely play Gallatin in Friday’s 330 p.m. semifinal. Gallatin takes on Helena (11-9), the No. 4 seed from the Western AA, at 10:30.
On the bottom half of the bracket, West (17-2) battles Missoula Hellgate (13-7) at 3:30 p.m., and Big Sky faces Skyview (11-9) at 5.
Maroons face familiar foe
Butte Central and Billings Central are no strangers when it comes to the Class A State tournament.
When the teams meet in the 10:30 a.m. game Thursday at the Four Seasons Arena, it will mark the fifth time this decade that the Maroons and Rams played each other on the final week of the season.
Butte Central is 3-1 in the previous four games. The Maroons won a tournament opener over the Rams in 2020, and then beat Billings Central in Saturday loser-out games in 2023 and 2024. Billings Central beat Butte Central in the tournament opener in 2021 in Great Falls.
Billings Central, which is led by Anaconda native Jim Stergar, heads into the latest Butte Central-Billings game as the favorite on paper.
The 18-2 Rams have a decided size advantage, and they are riding a 13-game winning streak. That includes three lopsided victories on their way to the Western A Divisional championship.
Billings Central beat Glendive 67-42 in the Feb. 28 Western A Divisional championship game and have had nearly two weeks off to get ready for State.
Darcy Merchant, a 6-4 senior guard, averages 16.1 points and 3.8 rebounds to lead the Rams into the tournament.
Toby Stewart, a 6-foot senior, averages 10.3 points, while 6-4 junior Gunnar Larsen scores 9.3 points and 4.5 rebounds to the lineup.
Also, 6-4 senior Howie Martin averages 8.3 points, and 6-foot junior guard Cy Hanson scores 7.9 points per game.
Junior guard Joshua Sutton averages 19.4 points per game to lead the 17-5 Maroons. He can take the ball to the hoop, and he hit 68 3-pointers on the season.
Sutton joined BC’s 1,000-point club last week at the Western A Divisional tournament in Drummond. He passed BC legends and state champions Tom Kenney, Marc Murphy and the late Ryan Murphy in doing so. With 1,041 career points, only Justin Thatcher (1,117), Jonathan Richards (1,118), Joe Devich (1,364), “Jumpin’” Joe Kelly (1,404) and Dougie Peoples (1,683) have scored more in a BC uniform.
Unlike the others on BC’s all-time list, Sutton played some varsity as an eighth grader. That season, though, only netted him 34 points.
Ryan Peoples is the only senior on the team, and he has been on fire over the last few weeks. He averages 12.8 points per game on the campaign. He scored 31 as BC beat Columbia Falls in a loser-out game Saturday morning.
Sophomore Jaxon Hiatt adds 10.3 points per game to the starting lineup that includes juniors GG Fantini and Cade Kelly.
Junior Burkley Lakkala and freshmen Noah Sutton and Henly Mansanti are the first off the bench for the Maroons. Juniors Gunnar O’Brien, Grady Button and Teghan Sparks have also contributed for the Maroons this season.
The winner of the BC vs. BC game will face Ronan (17-4) and Lockwood (20-2) in Friday’s 3:30 p.m. semifinal. Ronan and Lockwood play at 9 a.m.
The bottom of the bracket will see Thursday games between Glendive (15-5) and Frenchtown (17-5) at 3:30 p.m. and defending champion Dillon (15-6) vs. Miles City (12-10) at 5.
Track athletes tune up with PRs
Butte High athletes competed in three indoor track meets in Bozeman and Spokane in February and March.
Butte sent athletes to the All-Commers meet in Bozeman on Feb. 7, the STCU West Coast Indoor Championships Feb. 20-22 in Spokane, and the MSU High School Invite this past Saturday.
At the All-Comers in Bozeman (results), Ryan Hanson placed second in the high jump, clearing 6 feet, 2 inches. That was the highest place winner for Butte.
Levi Wiltsie placed 10th in the 3,200-meter race, finishing in 10 minutes, 45.78 seconds. It was one of two personal best (PB) performances for Wiltsie, who finished the 1,600 in 4:54.85 for 33rd place.
Camden Houchin took 18th in the 1,600 with a PB of 5:42.11. Colton Yoakum also posted a PB in that event in 5:22.29. Kai Schuler, Lyric Haston and Kyle Van Elsbert also ran the 1,600. Van Elsbert posted a personal best.
Yoakum and Van Elsberg posted PBs in the 800 meters, Charles Kellebrew posted a PB in the 400 meters, and Chase Choquette ran a personal best in the 60 meters.
Cohen Andrews jumped 19-8 ¼ in the long jump.
Wiltsie and Houchin had a big performance against some top competition at the meet in Spokane. (Results)
Both posted personal-best times in the 3,000-meter race. Houchin placed 16th in 9:07.97, while Wiltsie took 52nde in 9:47.11.
Houchin placed 23rd in the 800 with a time of 2:03.64, and Wiltsie ran the mile in 5:02.26, placing 126th.
Hanson placed second in the high jump, clearing a personal-best 6-4, to lead the Butte athletes at the MSH High School Invite Saturday. (Results).
Andrews placed seventh in the long jump, leaping 19-9 ¾, and Wiltsie took ninth in the 3,200 in 10:47.
Killebrew ran to 18th with a PB of 2:13.77 in the 800, and Yoakkum, Schuler and Emmett Hedval each posted a personal-best time in the 1,600.
The Bulldogs will begin practicing for the high school season on Monday. They open the season March 31 in Missoula, and the first home meet is set for April 10.
Practice for baseball, softball and tennis also begin on Monday.
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Butte players highlight All-Star rosters
Rosters for the Southwest Montana High School All-Star Classic basketball games were released today, and list of players includes eight Butte High Bulldogs and seven Butte Central Maroons.
The games will be played Monday on Montana Tech’s Kelvin Sampson Court. The girls play at 5:30 p.m., with the boys playing at 7:30. Each game will include a 3-point contest at halftime.
The games will pit the Big Sky team against the Treasure State team.
Tickets will be sold on the day of the game at the Montana Tech HPER Complex.
A committee of sportswriters, broadcasters and media personal selected the teams.
The Big Sky boys’ team selections include Butte High’s Hudson Luedtke, Josh Liston, Rhett Arntson and Brady Hanson and Butte Central’s Joshua Sutton, Ryan Peoples, Jaxon Hiatt and GG Fantini.
Bulldogs Kendel Noctor and Mitch Verlanic are alternates along with BC’s Cade Kelly.
The Treasure State boys’ roster includes Shane Schalk, Travis Dye, Kyson Patrick and Brody Galle from Anaconda playing with Braxtyn Turney, Cohen Hartman, Aason Munday and Will Hansen of Dillon.
Sophie Thatcher and Amira Bolton of Butte Central will coach the Big Sky boys’ team.
Levi Parsons of Drummond and Hailey Crawford of BC will lead the Treasure State boys.
Butte High’s Cadence Graham, Allie Becker, Franki Salusso and Emma Johnson were selected for the Big Sky girls’ roster along with Maroons Kenzie McQueary, Rylee Forbes and Zayonna Otherbull.
Butte High’s Elli Graham and Saege Grey are alternates.
Anaconda’s Quincy Salternberger and Jade Moses will play for the Treasure State girls with Dillon’s Tess Tash, Landri Hartman, Cassie Keller and Kaitlyn Konen.
Kendra McAnally and Jason White of Philipsburg will coach the Big Sky girls’ team. Cade Holter and Kyle Holter of Butte Central will coach the Treasure State girls.
Rosters for all four teams follow:
BIG SKY BOYS
Noah Flores – West Yellowstone
Rodrigo Salinas – West Yellowstone
Javier Ostler – Drummond
Hudson Luedtke – Butte High
Josh Liston – Butte High
Rhett Arntson – Butte High
Brady Hanson – Butte High
Joshua Sutton – Butte Central
Ryan Peoples – Butte Central
Jaxon Hiatt – Butte Central
GG Fantini – Butte Central
Evan Welch – Whitehall
Tyler Frydenlund – Jefferson
Alternates
Michael Goettle – Drummond
Skyler Dahl – Drummond
Kendel Noctor – Butte High
Mike Verlanic – Butte High
Cade Kelly – Butte Central
Trent Larsen – Whitehall
Tyzer Zody – JeffersonTREASURE STATE BOYS
Blake Hawkes – Deer Lodge
Hunter Turk – Twin Bridges
Brandin Sayler – Twin Bridges
Shane Schalk – Anaconda
Travis Dye – Anaconda
Kyson Patrick – Anaconda
Brody Galle – Anaconda
Braxtyn Turney – Dillon
Cohen Hartman – Dillon
Aason Munday – Dillon
Will Hansen – Dillon
Garrret Wagner – Ennis
Jake Dauenhauer – Granite
Alternates
Treyton Patrick – Anaconda
Flint Janzen – Twin Bridges
Ty Wellman – Twin Bridges
Shawn Lombardi – Deer Lodge
Collin Spears – Deer Lodge
Wyatt Doty – Ennis
Brandon Foss – Ennis
Riley Renolds – Ennis
Taegan McBurney – Ennis
JJ Lee – Granite
Asa Lattin – Granite
Gus Smith – GraniteBIG SKY GIRLS
Ari Spence – West Yellowstone
Hailey Roos – West Yellowstone
Cadence Graham – Butte High
Allie Becker – Butte High
Franki Salusso – Butte High
Emma Johnson – Butte High
Kenzie McQueary – Butte Central
Rylee Forbes – Butte Central
Zayonna Otherbull – Butte Central
Parker Layng – Jefferson
Josie Oxarat – Jefferson
Kimber Parsons – Drummond
Remington Cline – Drummond
Alternates
Elli Graham – Butte High
Saege Gray – Butte High
Michaela Morris – Jefferson
Hannah Stevens – Jefferson
Charlie Kling – DrummondTREASURE STATE GIRLS
Hazel Rubink – Deer Lodge
Tess Tash – Dillon
Landri Hartman – Dillon
Cassie Keller – Dillon
Kaitlyn Konen – Dillon
Quincy Saltenberger – Anaconda
Jade Moses – Anaconda
Kinsey Johnson -Twin Bridges
Marisa Snider – Ennis
Reese Dickinson – Ennis
Sophie McAnully- Granite
Kameron Hartman – Whitehall
Julia Hoagland – Whitehall
Alternates
Shannon Martin – Dillon
Ashland Brown – Deer Lodge
Natalie Seitzinger – Deer Lodge
Isabel Hunter – Deer Lodge
Jade Lunceford – Deer Lodge
Brooke Anderson -Twin Bridges
Tenley Keltz – Twin Bridges
Brooke Hoyer – Ennis
Kaliesta Meyer – Whitehall -
No. 330: Brodie Kelly, Bryan Arntson
Butte Central’s boys’ basketball team and Butte High’s girls’ basketball team will be playing in State tournaments this week.
Coach Brodie Kelly’s BC boys will play in the Class A State tournament in Great Falls. The Maroons will open the tournament at 10:30 a.m. Thursday against Billings Central, the No. 1 seed from the Eastern A.
The Maroons are the No. 4 seed from the Western A after last week’s Western A Divisional tournament in Hamilton.
Coach Bryan Arntson’s Bulldog girls’ squad will play in the Class AA State tournament in Billings. Butte High opens against Billings Senior at 9 a.m. Thursday. The Bulldogs earned the second seed from the Western AA in the regular season, and Butte High did not have to win a playoff game.
Senior is the No. 3 seed from the Eastern AA after beating Bozeman 54-41 in a playoff game Thursday night in Billings.
Today, we check in with the coaches of the teams as they head to the big dance. First up is Kelly, who is taking the Maroons to the Class A State tournament for the 19th time in his 22 years as head coach.
Next up, we check in Arntson, who is leading the Bulldogs to the Class AA State tournament for the second straight season. The Bulldogs placed fourth at State last year in Bozeman.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today.
The conversations with Kelly and Arntson are also available on YouTube:
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Coach called the shot by ‘The Assassin’
Spencer Jenne caught the punt midway through the first quarter of the 2006 Class A State championship football game on Dillon’s Vigilante Field.
The Dillon senor took a few steps to his right to see that the Beavers were setting up a wall of blockers. He was still on the wrong side of the 50-yard line when Steve Vezina emphatically raised his arms to signal a touchdown.
Vez was calling the shot.
Vezina, who passed away after a long battle with cancer 11 years later, was a smart, but a bit goofy assistant coach for Dillon. He wore shorts on the sidelines of every game — even if the temperature hit single digits — to show his players that they were not really all that cold.
Seriously, there were games when I was bundled up like the little brother on “A Christmas Story,” and Vezina would be wearing shorts. He was every player’s favorite coach. Vez would make them laugh, and then he would get the very best out of every one of them.
Then they would laugh some more.
The 2006 championship game was the first big game I got to cover for The Montana Standard in Dillon. As I watched the team play more over the years, I realized that Vezina would often signal touchdown at the beginning of the play.
Most times, though, he was raising his arms almost in a hopeful manner. It was almost as if he was asking a question. Touchdown?
This time, though, Vezina, who was the last coach to talk to punt returners before they fielded a kick, was making a statement. He knew a touchdown was coming. There was no doubt, and he was right.
Jenne followed that blocking and raced for a 55-yard touchdown to break a scoreless tie and put the Beavers on top for good in a 35-14 win over Frenchtown. The touchdown helped give the Beavers their second straight Class A title, which came one year after winning a 21-20 title game in Frenchtown.
Vezina kept his arms high in the air as he walked down the sideline, following Jenne on his way to the end zone. That confidence displayed by Vezina so early in the play was like nothing I have ever seen. I did not think I would see something like that ever again.
Then I got to watch Brooke Badovinac sink the biggest 3-pointer in the history of the Montana Tech women’s basketball program last Monday night.
The best part about the basket was the way Oredigger head coach Jeff Graham called the shot.
Badovinac, “The Assassin” from Butte Central, hit a trey to give the Orediggers a 73-72 lead over top-seeded Dakota State. The clock showed 20.8 seconds left in the Frontier Conference Tournament championship game at the Butte Civic Center.
For good measure, the lethally-tranquil Badovinac then forced a Dakota State turnover and hit two game-clinching free throws in Tech’s 76-72 upset victory.
Montana Tech will now head to Lewiston, Idaho for the first and second round of the NAIA National Tournament. The Orediggers open with Nelson (Texas) at 8:30 p.m. Friday.
The win over Dakota State in the title game was a gut-check performance for the Orediggers. The Trojans took a 24-5 lead to start the game, but Tech never quit. The shot by Badovinac gave the Orediggers just their second lead of the game.
It was the only one they needed.
That Badovinac, a redshirt sophomore, made the shot was not even remotely surprising. She was one of the best high school basketball players the Mining City has ever seen. During her junior season of 2021-22, Badovinac scored 671 points to lead the Maroons the Class A State tournament.
No boy or girl high school player ever scored more points in a single season.
The next year, after the Maroons were devastated by graduation, she scored 419 points while facing double and triple teams all season.
I had heard of the triangle-and-two defense before. But I had not seen it in action until Badovinac’s senior season with the Maroons. It is nearly impossible to score against that kind of a defense, but she still reached a number very few in Butte have ever done before.
She was able to average 23.3 points per game still largely due to her 56 steals in 18 games. She took a lot of those steals the distance for a bucket.
It was her unwavering demeanor during the run to the State tournament in 2022 that earned Badovinac the nickname “The Assassin.” Rarely did she show emotion as she slowly took out the competition in cold-blooded fashion.
Her game-changing baskets were like mob hits.
That is why nobody was surprised when it was Brooke who hit the huge shot. If there is one person who was born for that moment, it was “The Assassin.”
As the Oredigger crowd went nuts, I could not help but think about the Southwestern A coaches who unjustly kept her off the All-State team her senior season.
I figured she was going to be named MVP. She could have won the Gatorade that year — and the year before — but she was only named all-conference because her team did not win enough.
Luckily, Graham and the Orediggers were not fooled by postseason honors, or lack thereof. The Orediggers signed the right player, and they got her the ball at the right time.
Montana Tech inbounded from under the Dakota State basket with 45 seconds left in the game. Avery Carlson took the ball down court before passing it to Halle Haber, who passed it back to Carlson.
Carlson then got the ball to Hadley Humphreys at the high post. When two defenders converged on the forward from Blackfoot, Idaho, she passed it out to Badovinac in front of the Tech bench.
“The Assassin” did not flinch, even though Dakota State’s Bria Wasmund was quickly approaching with a hand in the face. The coach did not flinch, either.
Graham, like he often is, was crouched down in front of the bench. As he saw the ball heading toward Badovinac, he stood up and held three fingers on his right hand over his head as he started to walk down the bench.
She had not even caught the ball yet, and he called the shot with the confidence of Larry Bird raising his arm as he got off his last shot in the 3-point contest of the 1988 All-Star weekend. The coach made it to the baseline — about 10 feet away — before he watched the ball hit nothing but net, with his three fingers still held high.
He knew that shot was going in because he knew “The Assassin.” That is why he worked so hard to recruit her, even though her mother works at the school and both her parents are Oredigger alumni.
Graham was introduced as Montana Tech’s new coach on Aug. 1, 2022. After the press conference, he did not go out and celebrate with family and friends. He did not go shopping for a house.
His first order of business was to visit “The Assassin,” who ended up being the first player to commit to the Orediggers under Graham.
Before coming to Butte and being best known as the husband of Montana Western Hall of Famer Megan (Schmitz) and the father of Cadence, Ellison, Jace and Jimmer, Grahan was a highly-successful high school football and girls’ basketball coach in Belt.
His girls’ basketball team went 358-42 in 15 seasons. His Huskies won six Class C state titles in that span. So, it is safe to say that he knows a winner when he sees one.
He saw one in Badovinac. He has seen it in every game and every practice over the last three years. That is why he raised his hand so quickly. The coach knew what was coming. There was never a doubt.
Over the last week, I have watched the video of that shot and Graham’s reaction dozens of times, and it makes me smile every time. It takes me back to Vezina calling the shot before Jenne’s pivotal touchdown in the 2006 championship game.
The only thing missing was the shorts.
— Bill Foley, who is still peeved that Brooke Badovinac was not named All-State in 2023, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74 or Bluesky at @foles74.bsky.social. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
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Luedtke steps down as Bulldog coach
Butte High is in the market for a new boys’ basketball coach.
Matt Luedtke resigned his position Monday, four days after his Bulldogs dropped a Western AA playoff game to Missoula Big Sky at the Richardson Gym.
Travis Johnson, Butte High’s second-year activities director, said he is just starting the process to find Butte High’s next coach.
“We’re at the beginning phase,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to go through whatever the procedures there are. Everything has to go through the school board.”
Johson said he thanks Luedtke for his seven seasons coaching the Bulldogs.
“I appreciate what Matt has done for the Butte high boys’ program,” Johnson said. “I wish him the best for the future.”
In his seven seasons leading the program, Luedtke’s Bulldogs compiled a 79-76 record. That includes this year’s 15-5 mark. Butte High’s 15-4 regular-season record was the best for the Bulldogs since 2007.
Luedtke, 43, took the Bulldogs to the Class AA State tournament in each of his first five seasons. Butte High’s season ended with home playoff losses the last two seasons.
Luedtke said several factors played a role in his decision to leave Butte High. Those include what he said is a lack of support for his youth basketball program and accusations that he was making too much money of the program.
“The administration wanted to make money off of us when I was trying to make money for the youth program,” Luedtke said. “When you’re out there trying to do good, and that’s you motivating factor, and people are out there (complaining) about how much money you make?”
He said his “Team UpTop” program charged just $300 per player, and coaches focused on developing all the players, not just the players whose parents coach.
“At $300 a kid, especially when you’re giving out scholarships, it is not enough to sustain what we were doing,” Luedtke said. “That was a frustrating thing because I thought what we were doing was a good thing.”
Luedtke gave up the “Team UpTop” program following last season.
“I believed that was the ticket to build a winner,” he said of the program. “You’ve got to do it from the ground up. Not having the support of the parents is tough.They don’t have the foresight to look at what happened in the past and see that it didn’t work.”
The fact that the Class AA moved away from divisional tournaments following the 2023-24 season also factored into his decision.
“Those district and divisionals are what I want for Dawson,” Luedtke said of his 10-year-old son. “I believe the last two years that, if we had a divisional, that there is no way we’re going to get beat twice. We got unlucky last year, and this year we played our worst game (in the playoff).
“You get a mulligan in the state tournament, and that’s why the best teams go (to State),” Luedtke said. “I’ll never coach again in the Class AA as long as they don’t have a divisional tournament.”
Luedtke was Butte High’s 26th head coach, and he was one of the most successful. He was the first coach with a winning record since John Thatcher’s Bulldogs went 111-110 in 10 seasons from 2001 through 2010.
Only Thatcher, Pat Foley (12 seasons), Bob Rae (11 seasons) and Swede Dahlberg (29 seasons) enjoyed longer tenures as head coach of the Butte High boys’ basketball team.
The Bulldogs finished the 2022-23 season at 12-12, marking the first time the Bulldogs were at .500 or better since 2008. Butte High has gone 56-33 over the past four season. That stretch also saw Luedtke’s son, Hudson, become the all-time leading scorer in the Butte High boys’ program with 1,658 points.
Matt Luedtke was named head coach of the Bulldogs in May of 2019. He replaced Luke Powers, who resigned after four seasons coaching at his alma mater.
The next March, the Bulldogs played in the Class AA State tournament for the first time since 2013.
In his final season at Butte High, Luedtke said he had the best coaching staff of his career. His assistants were Shea Schroeder, Kenley Leary, Jordan Clary, Jake Parish and Manny Rodriguez. Leary played for Luedtke for three seasons at Butte High.
“Kenley Leary coached with me,” Luedtke said. “That’s as big of a complement you can get as a coach, when people want to come back and work with you.”
Before taking the Butte High job, Luedtke served as head coach for six seasons at Choteau. His team won back-to-back Class B State titles in 2015 and 2016, winning 52 straight games.
Luedtke said he plans to coach again. He said he will likely to move back to Choteau. Even though he coached at Butte High, he works in the insurance industry in Choteau and Fairfield, making the drive at least once a week.
“I would prefer to coach next year,” Luedtke said. “I’m afraid if I take a year off, I will get used to not coaching. I started coaching because I love the game of basketball and I love to mentor kids.”
Leaving Butte High was not an easy decision, Luetke said.
“I’m sad because I really wanted to win a state title at Butte High,” he said. “I thought the last two years were our best years.”
Luedtke pointed out that Maryland coach Buzz Williams famously said that a coach should never stay at a program for more than six seasons.
“I really do hope whoever takes over is able to sustain success at Butte High,” Luedtke said. “I don’t care if people feel I did a good job or not. I feel like I did a good job.
“Coaches are like painters. Nobody appreciates you until you’re gone.”
As a player, Luedtke was one of the best this state has ever seen. He was named the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year while playing at Ronan in 2000. He went on to play college ball at the University of Montana, the Colorado School of Mines and Montana Western.
Luedtke played three seasons in the ABA and was the first player signed by the former Butte Daredevils of the CBA.
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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Emma Johnson and Ryan Peoples
Butte High basketball player Emma Johnson and Butte Central hoopster Ryan Peoples are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
The honors come as the seniors take their team to their respective State tournaments this week.
The 5-foot-10 Johnson takes home the girls’ honor. Her Bulldogs did not have to play a playoff game last week because they clinched a spot in the Class AA State tournament during the regular season.
Johnson is a big reason for that, even if she has been a largely unsung player. Johnson started all 19 games for the Bulldogs during the regular season. She averaged 4.5 points, hitting big buckets inside and behind the 3-point line.
She appeared in six varsity games as a sophomore before playing every game for the Bulldog varsity the last two seasons, helping Butte High to back-to-back appearances in the Class AA State tournament.
The 6-2 Peoples takes home the boys’ honor. With his team’s season — and his prep hoops career — on the line, Peoples had the game of his life. He scored 31 points to lead the Maroons to a 74-62 win over Columbia Falls in a loser-out game at the Western A Divisional tournament in Hamilton. Peoples sank four 3-pointers in the win, including three in a 16-0 fourth quarter run that put the game away.
The win sent the Maroons to the Class A State tournament. In all, Peoples scored 64 points in BC’s four games at the divisional tournament.
The future Montana Tech football player is averaging 12.7 points on the season.
For the fourth year, Leskovar Honda, home of the non-commission sales staff that always has your back, is teaming up with the ButteCast to honor the finest student-athletes from the Mining City to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
Photo of Johnson courtesy Alycia Holland Photography. The photo of Peoples provided by Jacqueline Photography.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 