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Bulldogs roll into Saturday at State AA
BOZEMAN — Butte High’s girls’ basketball team will play on Saturday of the Class AA State tournament.
That comes after Butte High won its first State tournament game in 12 years Friday afternoon. The Bulldogs left little doubt, too, leading nearly wire to wire for a 50-26 win over Bozeman at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
Butte High will play the loser of tonight’s 6:30 semifinal between Billings West and Billings Skyview at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. That game will be at the Brick or at Gallatin High School, depending on how the Gallatin boys’ and girls’ games shake out later today.
The winner of that 10:30 game will move on to the third-place game at 5 p.m.
Butte High’s last win at the Class AA State tournament came on March 7, 2013. That’s when the Bulldogs beat Glacier 47-40 in the first round at the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls.
A huge performance by Cadence Graham led the way as the current Bulldogs kept their season alive Friday. She scored 12 of her game-high 22 points in the first half to get the Bulldogs off to the fast start.
Butte High led 14-10 after one quarter, but busted the game open by outscoring the Hawks 28-4 in the middle two quarters.
Senior Brityn Stewart added 11 points for Butte High, which saw eight different players score points.
Junior Franki Salusso poured in four points, while eighth grader Ellison Graham joined sophomore Autumn Clary and eighth grader Saege Grey with three points. Senior Dylann Bartoletti scored two points to go along with five rebounds and four steals.
Sophomore Allie Becker started and scored two points as well.
Senior Sidney Whitaker, juniors Emma Johnson and Gracie Jonart and sophomore Avery Barsness also contributed for the Bulldogs in the win.
Marlee Embry scored 10 points to lead the Hawks, who close the season at 9-13. Lexie Cotton, Nula Anderson and Lauren Keim each scored four points, and Zahara Willis netted three.
At 15-7, the Bulldogs have their best record since going 16-7 in 2019.
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Podcast No. 251: Jeff Riggs
Jeff Riggs is a self-described “serial entrepreneur.” He has been at least since his days playing basketball at Montana State University, when he used his scholarship money to buy property.
Riggs grew up in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He wasn’t big, but he was a star athlete. He was All-State in football and basketball, and he won a state championship in the triple jump. He was recruited by colllege football teams to kick, but he chose to go to Oregon State to play basketball.
After two years playing for the Beavers, Riggs transferred to MSU, where he found a home. He points out that he finished his career with a winning record against the Montana Grizzles.
In 1997, Riggs came to Butte with some teammates for St. Patrick’s Day. While his friends and teammates were enjoying the party, Jeff, who was the designated driver, noticed the buildings in Uptown Butte.
He fell in love with those buildings, and he now owns some of them. He and his partner have a handful of buildings in the Mining City. That includes the Thornton Building and the Elks Building.
Thanks to Jeff and his partner, the Thornton Building is triving like it hadn’t in years. The Elks is undergoing a renovation that is bringing new life to the old building.
By the way, Jeff is giving the Elks Lodge a pretty good deal so the group can still utilize the building. He’s charging them $1 per year rent, and they signed a 100-year lease.
Probably the coolest part about the way Jeff’s work on these buildings is he is not just renovating them. He’s restoring them to be as close as possible to the way they used to look. He has a great appreciation of history, and he wants to preserve that.
Jeff comes to town two or three days a work to work on the million things he has going on in Butte. He finds time to coach and chase his kids around the state as they play basketball, too.
Oh, and he can be heard as the color commentator on SWX coverage of Montana State basketball games.The man is going 100 miles a minute all the time.
Listen in to this podcast as Jeff talks about how tiny he was when he left high school. Listen as he talks about playing against some future NBA players.
Listen as he talks about playing for the Bobcats and going door to door through the MSU dorms with Danny Sprinkle to recruit students to watch their games.
Listen as he talks about playing his final season at MSU through horrible pain in both knees.
Liten to hear his plans for his buildings in Uptown Butte.
Today’s podcast is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat.
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Raptors start fast, deny Bulldogs
BOZEMAN — Spotting Gallatin a 15-0 lead proved to be too much to overcome for the Butte High Bulldogs Thursday night.
Butte High made several runs at the mighty Raptors after digging the early hole, but the Bulldogs fell 59-41 in the opening round of the Class AA State girls’ basketball tournament at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
Butte High, which can do no better than third place, will play in a 1:30 p.m. loser-out game on Friday against Bozeman. The Hawks fell 46-24 in Thursday’s last game.
The Bulldogs beat Bozeman 47-39 Jan. 2 at the Butte Civic Center. The winner of Friday’s game moves on to a Saturday morning loser-out contest.
Jada Davis poured in 19 points to lead three West plaers in double figures as the Raptors ran their record to 19-1. She also pulled down nine rebounds.
Makayla Coleman added 14 points and nine boards, while Ava Odegard scored 1 points, bulled down five rebounds and blocked two shots.
West led 17-5 after the first quarter, 27-16 at the half and 40-30 after three. A 7-0 fourth quarter run ended Butte High’s hopes of a comeback.
Sophomore Cadence Graham and junior Franki Salusso scored in double figures to lead the Bulldogs, who fell to 14-7. Graham scored 11 points, while Salusso netted 10. Senior Brityn Stewart added six points for Butte High, which got five apiece from junior Emma Johnson and eighth grader Ellison Graham. Senior Dylann Baroletti and sophomore Ellie Becker each tossed in two.
Senior Sidney Whitaker started and played for the Bulldogs. Sophomore Autumn Clary contributed for the Bulldogs, while junior Gracie Jonart, sophomore Kendallyn Schad and eighth grader Saege Grey saw time late.
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Butte Central auction set for March 21
The 2025 Butte Central Catholic Schools Spring Auction will be held Friday March 21.
The theme for the annual event is “Nashville Nights.” The auction benefits academic and activities at Butte Central Catholic Elementary, Junior High, and High School.
More than 150 items in all price ranges will be featured on the auction agenda. Included are vacations, golf packages, college scholarships, gift baskets, sports camps, yard furniture, professional services, orthodontic services, food packages, gift certificates and much more.
Two exciting raffles are also being held in conjunction with the auction. The first raffle features a winning prize of a VRBO Certificate valued at $3,000 or $3,000 cash. Only 125 tickets will be sold.
The second raffle features a variety of vacation options or $3,000 in cash. Tickets for that raffle are $10. The trips include a Hawaii vacation, a Vegas VIP package or a Nashville getaway. Raffle tickets are available by calling Butte Central Catholic Elementary at 406-782-4500 or the Butte Central Foundation Office at 406-723-6706.
Click here to view the auction agenda or to register as a bidder. Links to the auction can also be found on the Butte Central Schools Facebook page and the Butte Central Schools website: wearebcmaroons.com.
Tickets are available at the door on Friday or by calling the BC Development Office at 406-723-6706. For more information on the “Nashville Nights” Butte Central Auction, call the Butte Central Foundation Office at 406-723-6706.
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Podcast No. 250: Pat Ogrin
In June, Pat Ogrin will be inducted into the Montana Football Hall of Fame in Billings.
The 1976 Butte High graduate calls that a very big honor. He also called it shocking.
Those of us who followed Ogrin’s career, though, know it is a very well-deserved honor for Ogrin, a prep football All-American in 1975.
That year, Ogrin helped lead coach Dan Peters’ Bulldogs to an 8-2 record and a trip to the Class AA State championship game in 1975. Ogrin, who was one of six children born to Don and Raelene Ogrin, also played basketball and competed in track for the Bulldogs.
Following his career at the Bulldogs, the highly-recruited Pat Ogrin took his talents to the University of Wyoming. With the Cowboys, he played in the Fiesta Bowl as a freshman. He started every game as a sophomore and junior, and was picked as a preseason likely Top Defensive Player in the Western Athletic Conference.
However, Ogrin suffered a serious knee injury while working out for an NFL scout during that senior season. He ended up with eight knee surgeries, several of them stemming from that injury.
That was back in the day before they replaced ACLs in knees, too.
Ogrin was viewed as a potential third- or fourth-round draft pick in the NFL before the injury. Instead, he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Redskins. He spent the 1980 season on the injured reserve. In 1981 and 1982, he was released by the Redskins, only to return later in the season.
He was part of the Redskins team that beat Miami 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Ogrin went on to play in the USFL for the Denver Gold. Later, he closed his football career with a year with the Pittsburgh Gladiators in the Arena Football League.
Today, the 67-year-old Ogrin works as a pharmacist in Louisiana, where he lives with his wife Helen.
Listen in to this podcast as Pat talks about growing up in Cutbank and Butte and playing for the Bulldogs. Listen as he describes why then Butte High defensive line coach Jon McElroy enhanced his love for football.
Listen in as he talks about going undrafted after that knee injury and playing for the Redskins. Listen as he talks about getting cut from the team and rejoining it multiple times.
Listen in to hear how he remembers signing an autograph (below) for me back in 1983.
Today’s podcast is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today.
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Bulldog girls open tournament run against Gallatin Raptors
The Class AA State tournament is not supposed to be easy.
Only the top eight teams in the state move on to the final weekend of high school basketball in Montana. This year, those final eight teams have a combined 109-46 record.
Butte High, though, has a particularly hard draw as the No. 3 seed from the Western AA. The Bulldogs open against the 18-1 Gallatin Raptors from Bozeman in a 6:30 p.m. game Thursday. (Bracket)
The tournament will be played in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, which is on the Montana State campus.
Gallatin tied for first place in the Eastern AA with Billings West. The Golden Bears, though, won the tiebreaker for the top seed.
Both teams advanced to the state tournament without having to play a playoff game. That means Gallatin has not had to play since it beat Bozeman 76-40 Feb. 27. So, the Raptors will enter the game with two full weeks of rest and preparation.
Gallatin’s only loss was a 60-48 decision Feb. 11 at West. The Raptors beat the Bears 55-47 Jan. 17 in Bozeman.
The Raptors enter the tournament with four players averaging in double figures scoring. Jada Davis, a 5-foot-7 junior, leads the way for Gallatin. She leads the Class AA in scoring with 20.1 points per game. That goes along with 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
Ave Odegard, a 5-11 junior, adds 11.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game to the lineup, while 5-9 sophomore Saydey Perry contributes with 11.5 points per game.
Makayla Coleman, a 6-foot junior, averages 10.6 points and 8.1 rebounds, and 5-11 senior Emma Hardman averages 3.8 assists per game.
As a team, the Raptors have outscored their opponents 1,274-735. That is a victory margin of 28.4 points per game.
And the Raptors are the No. 2 seed? That almost seems impossible.
Coach Bryan Arntson’s Bulldogs enter the tournament undersized — particularly when compared to their first-round opponent. But Butte High is riding a hot hand after Friday’s 62-55 Western AA playoff win over Helena Capital at the Richardson Gym.
Butte High (14-6) has won six of its last eight games to qualify for state for the first time since 2022. The Bulldogs have a winning record for the first time since they went 16-7 in 2019.
Butte is looking for its first win in the first round since 2013, and the Bulldogs are looking for their first state championship game appearance since coach Jeff Arntson led them to the final game in 2008 and 2009.
The Bulldogs are seeking their first state title.
Sophomore Cadence Graham paced the Bulldogs with 20 points, five assists, four steals and six rebounds in Friday’s playoff win.
Senior Dylann Bartoletti had perhaps her best game as a Bulldog in the win. She scored 12 points and hit some clutch free throws down the stretch. Sophomore Allie Becker also played what might have been her best game for Butte High. She came off the bench to score nine points and gave the Bulldogs some much-needed toughness with senior Addie Hiatt out for the season with a knee injury.
Graham leads the Bulldogs with 18.0 points per game. That ranks second in the Class AA in scoring. She also ranks fifth with 3.3 steals per game and eighth with 3.3 assists.
Brityn Stewart, a 5-8 senior who is the vocal and emotional leader of the Bulldogs, averages 13.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Graham, Stewart and Bartoletti will be joined in the starting lineup by senior Sidney Whitaker and junior Franki Salusso.
Eighth graders Ellison Graham and Saege Grey have seen time off the bench for the Bulldogs this season. The younger Graham sister poured in eight points in Friday’s win.
Emma Johnson, a 5-10 junior, is often the first player off the bench for the Bulldogs. Juniors Gracie Jonart and Ally Godbout have also seen time off the bench, as has lightning-quick junior Autumn Clary.
The winner of the Butte-Gallatin game will play the winner of Thursday’s 8 p.m. semifinal between Missoula Big Sky (13-5) and Bozeman (9-11) in Friday’s 8 p.m. semifinal.
The top half of the bracket will see Missoula Hellgate (13-6) play Billings Skyview (12-8) and Billings West (18-1) take on Helena High (12-8).
Gatorade for Luedtke?
Butte High’s boys’ basketball season will not end in the Class AA State tournament. The Bulldogs fell in a 57-56 thriller to Missoula Sentinel in the Western AA playoffs Friday at the Richardson Gym.
The Bulldogs, though, could still end up with some serious hardwood.
Junior guard Matt Luedtke has to be at least in the running for the Montana Gatorade Player of the Year honors. On the season, Luedtke leads the Class AA in scoring with 19.2 points per game. He also leads the Class AA with 6.1 assists per contest.
That is something you do not see every year. Last year, Luedtke led the AA with 5.9 assists per game while ranking fourth in scoring with 15.8 points per game. He is the leading scorer in Butte High boys’ history, and he has his senior season left to play.
Of course, Luedtke has some serious competition for the honor. One of the most serious contenders is a guy who played against the Bulldogs Friday.
Lincoln Rogers, a 6-foot-7 junior guard, scored 16 points in the win over Butte High. He ranks No. 2 in scoring in the AA with 18.8 points per game. He leads the Class AA with 8.4 rebounds per game, just ahead of Butte High senior Dylan “Bobby” Bache’s 8.2 boards per contest.
Rogers and the Spartans beat Butte High three times this season.
A pair of Dillon Beavers — Carter Curnow and Kyler Engellant — have to be in consideration for the award, too. Engellant averages 20.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Curnow adds 14.9 points and 6.1 boards.
They lead a defending Class A champion Dillon team that heads to the Class A State tournament in Billings with a 20-1 record after cruising to the Western A Divisional title.
Also, Missoula Loyola’s Rey Johnston, the 2024 winner, is a senior having a strong season as he bids to go back-to-back with the Gatorade.
Rough day for Butte basketball
Friday was certainly a good night for the Butte High girls’ basketball team as the Bulldogs punched their ticket to the Class AA State tournament.
The day, however, was a rough one for Mining City hoops. The day saw three of Butte’s four varsity teams bow out of postseason action shy of state tournament appearances.
Butte Central’s boys’ and girls’ teams both lost loser-out games at the Western A Divisional tournament in Whitefish before the Bulldog boys and girls took the court for their playoff doubleheader.
That doesn’t mean the Maroons and Bulldogs did not go down without a fight, however.
Butte Central senior Owen McPartland poured in 42 points — which is second best the history of Butte boys’ prep basketball. That included 22 points in the fourth quarter of BC’s season-ending 73-71 loss to Bigfork.
The loss ended a run of 10 straight appearances in the Class A State tournament for the Maroons. This year marks just the third time in 21 seasons under Brodie Kelly that the Maroons have failed to qualify for state.
That is a remarkable run, to say the least.
The loss closed the book on the BC hoops career for McParland and fellow seniors Patrick Stimatz and Justus “Sexy And I Know It” McGee. The three were freshman when the Maroons won the Class A State title in 2022.
McPartland finished his career with just under 1,000 total points, while Stimatz was a key contributor for three seasons, too.
McGee wasn’t planning on going out for the team for his senior season. However, the future Rocky Mountain College football player changed his mind after he missed much of his senior football season with an injury.
Butte High’s boys will say goodbye to seniors Tocher Lee, Kylar Kjersten, Spencer Callaghan and Bache.
Lee and Bache played varsity since their freshman season. Callaghan played a huge role on the team, especially early when Lee was out with injuries. Kjersten didn’t see a ton of playing time this season, but coach Matt Luedtke said he was a valuable practice player his entire career.
Coach Quinn Carter’s Butte Central’s girls, meanwhile, do not lose any seniors. The team sent seven freshmen to the divisional tournament.
So, fans of the BC girls are already looking forward to the 2025-26 season.
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Send offs, watch parties planned for Orediggers men and women
Montana Tech’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will continue their march through March Madness this week at the NAIA National Tournaments.
The Tech men recently won their fourth straight Frontier Conference regular-season and tournament championships. The Diggs will play Southern Oregon at 6 p.m. (Mountain Time) Friday against Southern Oregon in Santa Clarita, California.
The Oredigger women are making their first trip to the national tournament since 2016. Tech will play Dakota State at 4:30 p.m. (Mountain time) Friday in Madison, South Dakota.
Tech fans will send off the Orediggers on Wednesday.
At 8:30 a.m., the women’s team will be sent off to South Dakota in front of the HPER Complex. Fans are asked to be there by 8:15 to send their best wishes to the Orediggers.
Tech’s men will depart the HPER at 10:30 a.m. Fans are asked to gather at 10:15 to show their support.
Also, Tech will host official Oredigger watch parties, sponsored by Steele’s Furniture, for both games on Friday at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
Click here to reserve your spot at the free party.
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Bulldogs, Maroons highlight rosters for All-Star Classic
Players from Butte High and Butte Central will make up a large portion of the 2025 Southwest Montana High School High School All-Star Basketball Classic.
The rosters for the games were released today. The games will be played Tuesday, March 18, at the Montana Tech HPER Complex. Play begins at 5:30 p.m. with the girls’ game. The boys follow at 7.
Each game will include a 3-point contest at halftime.
Bulldog and Maroon players will play for the Big Sky teams, while players from Anaconda and Dillon will highlight the Treasure State teams.
On the girls’ side, the Big Sky roster will include Bulldogs Brityn Stewart, Cadence Graham, Dylann Bartoletti and Franki Salusso. Maroons on the team will be Zayonna Otherbull, Kenzie McQueary and Rylee Forbes. BC’s Arika Stajcar is listed as an alternate.
Butte High boys playing will be Dylan “Bobby” Bache, Torre Tempel, Braylon Larson and Tocher Lee. They will be joined by Maroons Joshua Sutton, Owen McPartland, Ryan Peoples and GG Fantini.
Teas were selected by a committee of sportswriters, broadcasters and media personnel. Players were nominated by their coaches.
Tickets for the game will be available on Tuesday, March 18 at the Chamber of Commerce, 1000 George Street. They will also be available at the HPER Complex before the game.
The game is sponsored by the Butte Chamber of Commerce Hospitality Committee. Rosters follow:
Big Sky Boys:
Joshua Sutton, Butte Central
Owen McPartland, Butte Central
Ryan Peoples, Butte Central
GG Fantini, Butte Central
Dylan Bache, Butte High
Torre Tempel, Butte High
Braylon Larson, Butte High
Torcher Lee, Butte High
Trey Schrank, Sheridan
Kyler Theis, Sheridan
Tyler Fryderlund, Jefferson
Hunter Stevens, Jefferson
Trent Larson, Whitehall
Alternates
Jacob Mann, Sheridan
Wyatt Geier, Jefferson
Kellen Meredith, JeffersonBig Sky Girls:
Brityn Stewart, Butte High
Cadence Graham, Butte High
Dylann Bartoletti, Butte High
Franki Saulosso, Butte High
Zayonna Otherbull, Butte Central
Kenzie McQueary, Butte Central
Rylee Forbes, Butte Central
Cameron Toney, Jefferson
Rylan Eveland, Jefferson
Marae Smail, Twin Bridges
Ari Spence, West Yellowstone
Natalie Salinas, West Yellowstone
Alternates
Arika Stajcar, Butte Central
Sophia Watt, West YellowstoneTreasure State-Boys:
Travis Dye, Anaconda
Brodie Galle, Anaconda
Shane Schalk, Anaconda
Kyler Engellant, Dillon
Cohen Hartman, Dillon
Braxton Turney, Dillon
Kace Wagner, Ennis
Ryker Swanson, Ennis
Erik Pitcher, Granite
Gideon Rubink, Powell
Shawn Lombardi, Powell
Hunter Turk, Twin Bridges
Damian Ramales, West Yellowstone
Alternates
Gabe Lemelin, Dillon
Sam Davis, Dillon
Ian Singelton, Dillon
Brody Hunter, Deer Lodge
Flint Janzen, Twin Bridges
Jake Dauenhauer, GraniteTreasure State Girls:
Meela Mitchell, Anaconda
Rain Daniels, Anaconda
Kenleigh Graham, Dillon
Sage Tash, Dillon
Cassie Keller, Dillon
Kylie Konen, Dillon
Kimber Parsons, Drummond
Marissa Snider, Ennis
Mikendra Ledgewood, Ennis
Mikayla Ledgerwood, Ennis
Montannah Piar, Granite County
Julia Hoagland, Whitehall
Alternates
Landry Harman, Dillon
Tess Tash, Dillon
Charlee Kline, Drummond
Tanya Houser, Ennis
Ramsey Smith, Granite -
40 years later, we are still talking about that BC-Livingston game
Sunday will mark the 40th anniversary of what might have been the greatest game in the history of Montana high school basketball.
That anniversary reminds us that the game is still larger than life, and for so many reasons.
On March 16, 1985, the Park High Rangers from Livingston beat the Butte Central Maroons in a 99-97 double-overtime thriller in the Class A State championship game at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman.
The anniversary will also mark 40 years of me being mad at my uncle Melvin D’Arcy. He didn’t have room for me to ride in his silly, little truck. He took his girlfriend and my brother, and I had to stay home to watch on TV or listen to the radio.
That leads me to why I’ve been mad at KXLF for 40 years. The television station did not broadcast the game, which was played 364 days after I watched KXLF and saw Butte High beat Great Falls High in the Class AA State championship game in Missoula.
Also, the KXLF radio station did not carry the game that night. The station employee who was supposed to “run the board” for the game suddenly walked off the job, leaving radio silence for Butte sports fans.
The game pitted the 1983 champion Rangers against the 1984 champion Maroons, and television and radio cullieded for the perfect storm of fan disappointment.
Bruce Sayler, then a sportswriter at The Montana Standard, said the lack of television and radio coverage paralyzed the newsroom that night, too. Jim Edgar was in Bozeman covering the game, while just about every other paper employee was answering phone calls from people looking for the score.
Every 5 minutes or so, Sayler would call Bruce Parker, then an employee of the Montana State athletic department. Parker, who was sitting at the scorer’s table, would shout the score of the game into the phone. Sayler would then relay the score to everyone in the newsroom, which included revelers who stumbled in off the streets while celebrating St. Urho’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.
It must have been kind of like how fans followed the World Series back in the days before television and radio.
The lack of television also helped lead to four decades of misconception about the game officials. For 40 years, some Butte Central fans have blamed Mike Anderson for the loss. Anderson, a Butte High graduate, refereed that game with Pete Waylett of Dillon.
So many BC fans told me about the “phantom call” that led to Livingston senior guard John Moran shooting two free throws with 1 second left in the second overtime. It turns out the call was not phantom at all, and it wasn’t even made by Anderson, who is at least one of the best officials this state has ever seen.
A couple of weeks ago, Miles City scribe Zach Austin sent me a YouTube video he dug up about the game. It was from the pregame show for the broadcast of the 1986 Class A title game between Glendive and Lewistown from the Billings Metra.
The video came from a news cameraman who covered the game.
The late, great Pat Kearney took a look back at that legendary 1985 game, and his highlight videos clearly showed the foul that that broke the 97-all tie.
Butte Central guard Martin Ferriter crashed into Moran as he crossed half court and got ready to launch a desperation shot. Ferriter then put his arms up, as if to say he didn’t touch him.
You see players do that all the time when they know that they just committed a foul. It is like an admittance of guilt.
Moran might have leaned into the contact slightly, but it would have been an injustice to call anything other than a blocking foul on the play.
Had Billy Madison or Ron Hasquet described the play, they’d say, “That’s assault, brotha.”
After Moran drained two free throws, Pat McHugh threw an incredible inbound pass the length of the court. Central’s John Sullivan was able to tip the ball up. It hit backboard and rim before falling to the floor.
It was almost a miracle to send the game to a third overtime.
On that play, by the way, there was no foul that should have been called. That is also a legend that is not true. Anderson and the camera had a perfect angle.
For decades, I have also heard how Anderson decided to not call a fifth foul on Livingston star Shann Ferch. I just find that to be completely unbelievable.
Since it was a two-man crew officiating the game, I have no doubt that Ferch got away with a foul or two during the game. I also have no doubt that you can say that about Butte Central star Tom Kenney if you were cheering for Livingston. You could probably say that about every other player who stepped on the floor that night, too.
There are just so many blind spots for officials when there is only two on the floor. That is why they now use three officials for all varsity games.
Ferch finished with 37 points that night. It would have been closer to 50 had the 3-point line been in play that season. Kenney scored 41.
“It certainly was the greatest two-man dual in championship history,” Kearney said in his story a year after the game.
For years, that is how I viewed the game that I could not see or hear. After recently looking at the boxscore from the Standard, though, I realized that the game had to have more than two standouts.
For one thing, the boxscore tells us that Sullivan’s performance has been undersold. Sully, who was a 16-year-old junior, scored 22 points and grabbed 23 rebounds. Yes, 23 rebounds. Marc Murphy finished with 16 points and five assists for BC.
For the Rangers, Randy Petrich scored 17 points, while Mike Kokot finished 14 and John Perry tossed in 12.
Kokot and Perry, by the way, were among four Livingston players to foul out. That, too, should dispel the myth that the fix was in for the Rangers.
Pat Prendergast, the coach of those Maroons, recently told me that he only disputed one call in game, and that was when Sullivan was fouled on a putback. The officials ruled that the foul was before the shot, and Prendergast thought the bucket should have counted.
That’s it. One call. That is pretty incredible for a two-man crew. That would be amazing if the game had 10 officials.
Make sure to check out the video, and you can see for yourself. Check out the video even if you still want to believe in the conspiracy theories.
The video is great for so many reasons. For one thing, it is awesome to hear the voice of Kearney again. In my mind, Pat will forever be the greatest television/radio man in Mining City history.
“The real winners that night were the fans of Montana,” Kearney said in his voice that was a cross between Brent Musburger and Kermit the Frog. “It was a dream matchup that turned into a dream game.”
At least the 7,147 fans lucky enough to attend were the real winners. Those of us let down by television, radio and uncles, though, were left to imagine how great the game was. We were left to believe that the officials might have somehow helped determine the outcome of the game.
“It will be a championship game that will be long remembered,” Kearney said.
Pat is certainly right about that.
But I just know that I would remember that game a whole lot better had Melvin had the decency to buy a bigger vehicle.
— Bill Foley, whose Honda Ridgeline can comfortably drive five people to Bozeman to watch the Butte High girls play in the Class AA State tournament this week, 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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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Cadence Graham, Owen McPartland
Butte High sophomore Cadence Graham and Butte Central senior Owen McPartland are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
This marks the second time this basketball season that Graham and McPartland took home the honors. Both earned the awards with big-time performances that came with their team’s season on the line.
Graham receives the girls honor after leading the Bulldogs to a 62-55 win over Helena Capital in a Western AA playoff game at the Richardson Gym.
The 5-foot-6 guard started off the scoring with a 3-pointer, and she added 17 more as the Bulldogs went wire to wire for the victory. Graham also dished out five assists and picked up three steals.
Graham and the Bulldogs will represent Butte High at the Class AA State tournament this week in Bozeman.
Through the first 20 games of the Bulldog season, Graham has scored 360 points, giving her an average of 18 points per game. She also averages 3.4 assists and 3.3 steals per game. She has knocked down 34 3-pointers on the campaign.
Graham has been a key contributor for the Bulldogs since she became the first Butte High girl to play on the varsity team as an eighth grader during the 2022-23 season.
McPartland takes home the boys’ honor after scoring 42 points in a heroic effort to try to keep the Maroons’ season alive. Central, though, fell 73-71 in a loser-out game to Bigfork at the Western A Divisional tournament.
McPartland sank seven 3-pointers — including a half-court shot at the buzzer — and went 7 for 7 from the free throw line. He tied Butte Central great Mike McLeod for second place on BC’s all-time single-game scoring list.
With the 42 points, McPartland is joined in the 40-point club for Butte boys only by McLeod, Butte Central’s Dougie Peoples (44 points in 2023), Butte Central’s Tom Kenney (41 in 1985) and Butte High’s Todd Hildreth (40 in 2005).
McPartland finished the season with 396 points. That’s an average of 19.8 points per game through 20 games. McPartland was a three-year varsity contributor for the Maroons. He ends his prep career with 969 varsity points.
For the third year, Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, is teaming up with the ButteCast to honor the finest student-athletes from the Mining City in an effort to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
Photo of Graham courtesy of Alycia Holland Photography. McPartland photo courtesy of Josie Trudgeon Photography.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 