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Butte High girls’ subvarsity report
Following are the Butte High girls’ basketball subvarsity reports for the first five games of the season, as provided by Bulldog coaches.
The reports include games at Bozeman and Billings West, and home games against Dillon, Butte Central and Gallatin.
JUNIOR VARSITY
Butte High 40, Bozeman 13
BOZEMAN — Sage Grey and Avery Barsness each tossed in 10 points to lead the Bulldogs in the Dec. 13 season-opening win.Their play backed up a great defensive performance that created many turnovers that led to points. Stella Callaghan scored six points in the win. Reese Johnson and Berkli Salusso each scored four, and Ellie Yates, Ellison Graham and Kendallyn Schad each scored two.
Wakely Burleson also contributed for the Bulldogs. Johnson claimed Junkyard Dog of the game honors.
Payton Hyem scored six points to lead the Hawks.
Billings West 53, Butte High 21
BILLINGS — Asa Edwards scored 16 points, and Rylee Parker added 10 to lead West to the Dec. 19 win over the Bulldogs.Maddy Hutzenbiller and Kadence Avlt each scored eight points in the win.
Ellison Graham and Avery Barsness each scored six points to lead Butte High. Stella Callaghan scored three points, and Ellie Yates, Saege Grey and Berkli Salusso each scored two. Milee Stillwagon, Evie Smith, Wakley Burleson and Kendallyn Schad also contributed. Coaches named Yates the Junkyard Dog of the game.
Tatum Tash scored nine points, and Baylor Malesich added eight to lead Dillon. Piper Gaasch scored four, Brynna Gibson tossed in three, and Kenndyl Meine netted two.
Butte High 46, Dillon 26
Stella Callaghan and Berkli Salusso each scored 11 points, and Avery Barsness did a little bit of everything to lead the Bulldogs in the Dec. 16 win.Barsness, who scored six points, was named Junkyard Dog of the game for making winning plays, playing great defense and rebounding in the Bulldogs’ first home game.
Kendallyn Schad scored five points, and Ellison Graham and Saege Grey each scored four points. Elli Yates and Wakely Burleson each scored two, and Reese Johnson tossed in one.
Butte High 51, Butte Central 43
Saege Grey, the Junkyard Dog of the game, left her mark in just one quarter of play. She scored a team-leading 11 points and collected seven steals as the Bulldogs pulled out the tough win at the Butte Civic Center.Reese Johnson scored seven points in the win, and Avery Barsness tossed in seven. Butte High also got six points form Berkli Salusso, five from Stella Callaghan, four from Ellison Graham, three from Ellie Yates and Wakely Burleson and two apiece from Kendallyn Schad and Evie Smith.
Mila Carriger hit 11 of 12 free throws and scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Maroons. Jordyn Sampson and Karla Erich each scored eight points for the Maroons. Luci Fantini tossed in five points, and Evyn Smith and Jaedyn Maldonado each scored two.
Cambri Campbell, Evyn Tippett, Ashley White and Natalie Osterman also contributed for the Maroons.
Gallatin 43, Butte High 34
Mazzie Melin scored 13 points, and Mycah Flannigan added 12 as the Raptors knocked off the Bulldogs Jan. 2 in Butte.Stella Callaghan scored 10 points to pace the Bulldogs. Butte High also got six from Kendallyn Schad, five from Ellison Graham, four from Reese Johnson, three from Saege Grey and two from Evie Smith and Avery Barsness.
Wakely Burleson and Berkli Salusso also played for the Bulldogs.
SOPHOMORES
Billings West 31, Butte High 24
BILLINGS — An 11-point performance from Cambree Stiason led the West squad t the victory. Kinsley Saey scored seven points, while Jane Allen tossed in six, and Brooklyn Metcalft scored five.Burleson scored seven points, and Henderson netted six to lead the Bulldogs in the first sophomore game of the season. Persaius Findlay scored three points, and Sage Leber, Milee Stillwagon, Ava White and Megan Chiamulera each scored two.
Taylor Regan, Karlee Jeffery, Kenzie Rowe and Kaydee O’Connor also contributed for the Bulldogs. Leber was named Junkyard Dog of the Game.
Coaches credited the Bulldogs for a strong defensive effort against a much-taller West team.
Gallatin 37, Butte High 37
Bethany Rigg scored 10 points, and Callin Costello tossed in nine to lead Gallatin in the victory. Hanna Stahler scored seven, and Fallon Mortenson scored six.Kaydee O’Connor’s six points led the Bulldogs, who got five from Milee Stillwagon, four from Sage Leber, three from Wakely Burleson and Rylee Erickson, and two apiece from Persaius Findlay, Ava White and Megan Chiamulera. Kenzie Rowe also played for the Dogs, who played well as a group.
Butte High outrebounded Gallatin by six, and forced 23 Raptor turnovers.
Burleson was named Junkyard Dog of the game.
FRESHMEN
Butte High 57, Bozeman 22
BOZEMAN — Brea Henderson poured in a game-high 18 points to earn Junkyard Dog of the game and lead the Bulldogs to the lopsided win.Taylor Regan scored 13 points for Butte High, which got eight apiece from Karlee Jeffery, Lilly Sandoval and Sara Whitaker. Kynslee Wrampe scored two points in a game that saw Jordy Giop, Franki Allred and Bella Schrapps contribute.
Flynn Daniels and Isla Diebert scored six points to lead Bozeman. Margaret McQuery and Violet Begnoche each scored five.
Katelyn England scored five points to lead the Hawks.
Butte High 41, Billings West 16
BILLINGS — Butte High put together a complete game — especially on defense — to roll to the victory over the Golden Bears.Karlee Jeffery scored 16 points, and Taylor Regan added 12 to lead the Bulldog attack. Sara Whitaker scored vie points, Kynslee Wrampe tossed in three, and Jordy Giop and Bria Henderson each scored two. Franki Allred tossed in one in a game that saw contributions from Lilly Sandoval and Bella Schrapps. Coaches named Schrapps the Junkyard Dog of the game.
Butte High 42, Dillon 37
A great team effort in the second half led to a come-from-behind victory for the Bulldogs in their first home action.Taylor Regan scored 13 points to lead the way for Butte. Brea Henderson added eight points for the Bulldogs, who got six points from Kynslee Wrampe, four apiece from Karlee Jeffery, Lilly Sandoval and Sara Whitaker and three from Jordy Giop.
Franki Allred and Bella Schrapps also contributed for Butte High. Jeffery was named Junkyard Dog of the game.
Baylor Malesich scored 18 points to lead the Beavers. Elly Davidson scored six, while Tatum Tash tossed in four, Ripley Reasoner and Kynsey Morrisore each scored three, Gaby Willett netted two and Piper Gaasch tossed in one.
Butte Central 39, Butte High 27
Cambri Campbell’s 10 points led the way as the Bulldogs knocked off the Maroons Dec. 22 at the Civic Center.Evyn Tipett added five points for BC, which got four from Ryan Olson, three from Karla Fetters and two apiece from Ashley White and Ayanna Weang each scored two.
Karlee Jeffery scored 10 points to lead Butte High. Taylor Regan scored eight, while Sara Whitaker tossed in three, and Lilly Sandoval, Jory Giop and Brea Henderson each scored two.
Kynslee Wrampe, Franki Allred and Bella Schrapps also contributed for the Dogs.
Butte High 32, Gallatin 20
Brea Henderson scored 14 points, and Taylor Regan scored 12 in a game that saw the Bulldogs put forth an “awesome” defensive effort in the win.Kynslee Wrampe was named Junkyard Dog of the game for her fantastic offensive and defensive rebounding.
Lilly Sandoval scored five points, and Wrampe scored one. Karlee Jeffery, Sara Whitaker, Jodry Giop, Franki Allred and Bella Schrapps also contributed in the win.
Avery Knockey’s six points paced Gallatin. Havyn Davila and Kaylynn Melton each scored five.
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Copper City Softball registration open
Registration for the 2026 Copper City Softball League is open from now through March 16.
The league offers four playing levels. They are Coach Pitch for girls 4 to 6, Farm League for girls 7 to 8, Minor League for girls 9 to 10, Major League for girls 11 to 12, and Junior/Senior Sandlot for girls 13 to 16.
Practices begin April 13, and Opening Day will be held May 3. The first games will be played on May 4 with tournament week running June 15 through 18.
Register online at coppercitysoftball.com. Call or text Jaimee Richards at (406) 498-6907 or email coppercitysoftball@gmail.com with questions.
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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Cadence Graham and Rhett Arntson
Butte High basketball players Cadence Graham and Rhett Arntson are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
The honors come after the Bulldog girls and boys opened January with a doubleheader against Gallatin at the Butte Civic Center.
Graham, a 5-foot-7 junior guard, takes home the girls’ honor after scoring 12 points to lead the Bulldogs in a 68-47 loss to the defending Class AA State champion Raptors. In doing so, Graham became just the second Butte High girl to score 1,000 career points.
She joins the great Lexi Nelson in that category. Graham, who has been a varsity contributor since she was in the eighth grade, still has nearly two full seasons to add onto that already impressive point total.
Arntson, a 5-8 senior guard, receives the boys’ accolades after helping lead the 5-0 Butte High boys to a 75-60 win over Gallatin. Arntson sank five 3-pointers on his way to scoring a career-high 19 points in the win.
He hit three of those treys and scored 11 points in the second quarter as the Bulldogs took command with a 25-13 run. That marked the second double-digit performance of the season for Arntson, who scored 13 points in Butte High’s 72-66 win over Billings West Dec. 19 at the Richardson Gym.
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.
Photos of Graham and Arntson were provided by Alycia Holland Photography.
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Little Kids Hoops returns Saturday
The Knights of Columbus Little Kids Hoops program will return from holiday break on Saturday, Jan. 10.
The league will run through January, and all boys and girls are still welcome to play.
Games for boys and girls from pre-kindergarten through second grade go from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Games for players in the third through sixth grade go from 10:30 until noon. Hoops will be lowered for the younger players.
The league is free to all boys and girls, and players can show up to play week to week. There is no registration.
Players will be put on teams each week by Dan and Tom Boyle, who will referee the games and make sure each player is part of the action. There are no coaches.
The KC Little Kids Hoops program has been running for more than 30 years, and many of the boys and girls in the league turned out to be high school and college players.
All players will receive a T-shirt on the last day.
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Osborne, Salo shoot to district titles
DILLON — Three girls and three boys, ages 8-13, were crowned champions at the Elks South District Hoop Shoot free throw contest Saturday at the Straugh Gymnasium on the Montana Western Campus.
Those winners include Butte’s Tenley Osborne and Clay Salo. Osborne won the girls’ 12-13 age group, making 20 out of 25 shots. Salo captured the boys’ 8-9 title. He sank 22 free throws.
Butte’s Jace Graham placed second in the boys’ 11-12 age group. He made 20 free throws. Anaconda’s Tre Estes won with 23.
Caitlyn Jo Gallagher of Butte took second in the girls’ 8-9 group.
Other Butte contestants who won the Butte Lodge No. 240 competition in November were Taylor Benski, Bridger Smyth, and JJ Hardy.
First and second place trophies were awarded to each boy and girl in three categories: ages 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13. The contestants who participated at the District Hoop Shoot Contest were crowned Champions at their local Lodge Contest within the Montana South District, comprised of Anaconda No. 239, Butte No. 240, Deer Lodge No. 1737, Dillon No. 1554.
The three first place boys and girls in age categories 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13 will advance to the Montana State Contest at Park County High School in Livingston on Feb. 14. They will compete against the Districts Champions from the other four Montana districts. With continued success, the six Montana State Champions will advance to the Regional Contest in Rapid City, South Dakota, on March 7and the National Finals in Chicago on April 18. The names of all the national winners will have their names digitally displayed in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
This program is totally sponsored by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the U.S.A. It is endorsed by hundreds of school systems around the country. The Elks fund the program primarily through its National Foundation and the support of the local lodges and state associations.
The Elks Hoop Shoot” began as a local program by Corvallis Oregon Elks in 1946, is in its 54th year of national competition. In the past, Montana has crowned several National Champions.
Age group winners (scores out of 25):
Girls 8-9
1st – Kasey Staley, Dillon 20
2nd – Caitlyn Jo Gallagher, Butte 11Girls 10-11
1st – Aspen Gibson, Dillon 11, 3/5, 3/5
2nd – Adeley Kenny, Anaconda 11, 3/5, 2/5Girls 12-13
1st – Tenley Osborne, Butte 20
2nd – Kansas Keller, Dillon 18Boys 8-9
1st – Clay Salo, Butte 22
2nd – Emmett Holbrook, Twin Bridges 18Boys 11-12
1st – Tre Estes, Anaconda 23
2nd – Jace Graham, Butte 20Boys 12-13
1st – Austin Blando, Dillon 17, 4/5, 4/5
2nd – Jack Grinolds, Anaconda 17, 4/5, 3/5 -
KC basketball schedule
Following is the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s four-man basketball league for the week of Jan. 5. Only one game will be played on Monday because the Montana State Bobcats are playing in the FCS National Championship Game that night.
Monday
9 p.m. — Poi Time vs. Someday StartersTuesday
7 p.m. — Jellyfam vs. Everett-Cook Law
8 p.m. — Kenworthy vs. Everett-Cook Law
9 p.m. — Washington Generals vs. Someday StartersWednesday
7 p.m. — Jellyfam vs. Kenworthy
8 p.m. — Poi Time vs. ButteSportsThursday
7 p.m. — Hoopballas vs. Washington Generals
8 p.m. — City Boys vs. ButteSports
9 p.m. — City Boys vs. Hoopballas -
Hunt captures title at Tom LeProwse
BOZEMAN — For the second straight year, Butte High senior Keegan Hunt is a Tom LeProwse champion.
On Saturday, Hunt defeated East Helena wrestlers Eli Erdahl 6-4 in the championship match of the 110-pound division of the Tom LeProwse Invitational at Gallatin High School.
A year ago, Hunt won the 103-pound title in the tournament named after the Butte native who turned out to be a Bozeman coaching legend. Hunt then won a state title at 103 pounds in February.
In all, six Bulldogs placed in the tournament. Crew O’Connor took second at 103 pounds. Teammate Renzy LeProwse placed third in that division.
Reveles McEwen took third at 118 pounds, while Bridger Garrison captured fifth at 157 and Bode Hazlett placed sixth at 150.
Billings West won the team title with 247 points. Hardin took second at 229, and Huntley Project finished third at 183. Butte High placed seventh in the 50-team tournament with 161.5 points.
Butte High’s girls’ program competed in the Belgrade Invitational at the Belgrade Special Events Center.
Senior Mattie Stepan led the Bulldogs, placing third at 155 pounds. Cheyanne Robinson took sixth at 235, and Peyton Liva placed sixth at 100.
The Bulldog boys and girls will be back at home Tuesday, taking on Missoula Hellgate and Missoula Big Sky at the Butte High old gym. Action begins with extra matches at 5 p.m.
Results for the tournaments in Bozeman and Belgrade can be found at trackwrestling.com.
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Graham reaches 1,000 points in loss, Bulldog boys dunk on Raptors
It was a night of milestones, 3-pointers and slam dunks Friday at the Butte Civic Center.
Butte High junior Cadence Graham became just the second Bulldog girl to join the 1,000-point club in a 68-47 loss to defending Class AA State champion Gallatin. Then, the Butte High boys scored from deep and up high to roll their record to 5-0 with a 75-60 beating of the Raptors in the night cap.
The Bulldogs will be back in action next Friday and Saturday when the boys and girls travel to Kalispell to take on Flathead and Glacier. Those will be the first two Western AA games for Butte High.
BOYS
Butte High 75, Gallatin 60If Butte High fans did not believe their boys have the look of a serious state title contender before Friday night, they sure as heck do now.
The Bulldogs connected on 11 shots from 3-point range, and 6-foot-9 sophomore Brady Hanson electrified the crowd with four thunderous two-handed dunks to lead the Bulldogs in the win.
Hanson scored Butte’s first bucket on a dunk in traffic. He added three more slams and a 3-pointer. The prettiest basket of the night came on a break when Hudson Luedtke lobbed a pass off the backboard and Hanson threw it down.
Luedtke, the reigning scoring and assist champion of the Class AA, tossed in 22 points to lead the Bulldogs. Fellow senior Rhett Arntson had the best game of his varsity career, knocking down five 3-pointers and scoring 19 points for Butte, which led wire to wire.
The Dogs led 15-11 after one and 40-24 at the half. Butte took a 55-47 edge into the final frame.
Hanson scored 13 points for Butte, which got eight points and some tough defense from Cayde Stajcar. James Pearston sank a pair of threes and score six, Mitch Verlanic netted five, and Ryan Hanson tossed in two.
Kendel Noctor, Koda Schleeman and Kaleb Celli also contributed for the Bulldogs.
GALLATIN (2-2) — Ethan Waldo 3 0-0 9, Bobby Gutzman 2 0-0 4, Austin Bishop 3 0-0 6, Sam Litzen 2 0-0 5, Aidden Brown 5 2-2 12, Caden Flanigan 0 1-2 1, Brett Sonju 6 1-3 18, Joey Padilla 0 0-2 0, Zach Lockwood 1 2-2 4, Matthew Phillips 0 1-2 1, Wyatt Ford 0 0-0 0, Hudson Burke 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 7-13 60.
BUTTE HIGH (5-0) — Cayde Stajcar 3 2-2 8, Rhett Arntson 7 0-0 19, Hudson Luedtke 5 10-12 22, Mitch Verlanic 2 0-0 5, Brady Hanson 6 0-0 13, James Pearston 2 0-0 6, Kendel Noctor 0 0-0 0, Kaleb Celli 0 0-0 0, Ryan Hanson 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 12-14 75.
Gallatin 11 13 23 13 — 60
Butte 15 25 15 20 — 75
3-point goals — Gallatin 9 (Sonju 5, Waldo 3, Litzen), Butte 11 Arntson 5, Luedtke 2, Pearston 2, Verlanic). Fouls — Gallatin 19, Butte 15. Fouled out — Brown. Technical — Brown.GIRLS
Gallatin 68, Butte High 47
Jada Davis poured in 29 points for the Raptors, who pulled away with a 23-6 advantage in the third quarter.Davis was one of three Raptors in double figures. Makayla Coleman scored 12 points, and Avi Odegard tossed in 10. Amelia Hunter came off the bench to score eight.
Allie Becker’s 15 points paced the Bulldogs. She scored 10 of those points in the first half. After Cadence Graham’s 12 points, Butte got six from Autumn Clary, five from Emma Johnson, four from Saege Grey, three from Kendallyn Schad and two from Ellison Graham. Franki Salusso, Avery Basness, Ellie Yates, Stella Callaghan and Reese Johnson also contributed for the Bulldogs.
GALLATIN (4-0) — Jada Davis 8 11-13 29, Avi Odegard 4 2-2 10, Saydey Perry 2 0-1 4, Lorelei Bear Before 2 0-0 4, Makayla Coleman 4 4-5 12, Lydia Stewart 0 0-0 0, Ameilia Hunter 2 2-2 8, Auna Litzen 0 0-0 0, Kate Nansel 0 1-2 1, Taylor Thigpen 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 20-25 68.
BUTTE HIGH (2-3) — Allie Becker 4 7-5 15, Cadence Graham 2 7-8 12, Autumn Clary 0 6-8 6, Franki Salusso 0 0-0 0, Emma Johnson 2 0-0 5, Ellison Graham 0 2-4 2, Saege Grey 2 0-1 4, Kendallyn Schad 1 0-0 3, Stella Callaghan 0 0-0 0, Reese Johnson 0 0-0 0, Avery Barsness 0 0-0 0, Ellie Yates 0 0-0 0. Totals 11 20-28 47.
Gallatin 18 13 23 14 — 68
Butte 17 10 6 14 — 47
3-point goals — Gallatin 4 (Hunter 2, Davis 2), Butte 5 (Becker 2, C. Graham, Johnson, Schad). Fouls — Gallatin 24, Butte 16. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none. -
Podcast No. 313: Mitch Verlanic
Mitch Verlanic was an All-State safety for the Butte High Bulldogs this past football season. Last week, he was picked to play for the West Side in the 2026 Montana East-West Shrine Game in Butte.
He would be a steal if a college team took a chance on him, but so far, the coaches have not been calling. Montana Western did, but Mitch plans to be an engineer.
I’ve been watching Butte High football for a long time. I watched as a fan, as a writer and as a parent. Mitch is one of the best defensive players I have seen play for the Bulldogs. He isn’t going to wow you with his size on the roster, but he is ever bit as big as Colt Anderson.
This past season, Mitch unleashed the fury for the Bulldogs, chalking up 104 total tackles. That includes 77 solo tackles. He just has a nose for the ball. He is super smart, as is evident with his 4.0 GPA and 31 on the ACT.
He also works harder than most. He did not miss one morning weights workout in his four years playing football for the Bulldogs.
After two seasons not playing hoops, Mitch returned to the Butte High basketball team this season. He and classmate Cayde Stajcar were heavily recruited by teammate Hudson Luedtke, and so far the Bulldogs are undefeated.
Hopefully the college coaches come around, too. With his combination of ability, smarts and instinct, I would bet anything that he will be a star at the next level if he is given a chance.
Listen in to this episode as Mitch talks about playing football, lifting weights and spending so much time watching film. Listen as he talks about what it is like to play with a great player like Luedtke — on the gridiron and on the hardwood.
Listen to hear why he is Mitch on the football roster and Mike in basketball.
Today’s podcast is brought to you by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today. The episode is also available on YouTube:
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Bulldogs jump back into action
Wrestlers head to LeProwse Invite
While Butte Central’s basketball teams have an extended break following Christmas, the Butte High Bulldogs are wasting no time getting back into action.
The Bulldog boys’ and girls’ teams will take on Gallatin Friday in a doubleheader at the Butte Civic Center. The girls play at 5:30 p.m., and the boys will tip off around 7.
We could see a milestone reached in the girls’ game. After scoring 14 points in Butte High’s 62-24 Dec. 23 win over Butte Central, junior guard Cadence Graham is just 11 points shy of joining the 1,000-point club.
That will make Graham, who first cracked a sport on the varsity team when she was in the eighth grade, just the second Butte High girl with 1,000 points or more on her career, joining the great Lexie Nelson.
Nelson holds Butte High’s record — for a boy or girl — with 1,696 points. Senior Hudson Luedtke, who led the Bulldog boys to a 4-0 December, could make a run at that mark. Last year, Luedtke passed John Dawson to become Butte High’s all-time leading scorer on the boys’ side.
Luedtke averaged 29.5 points per game during the first four games, and he sits at 1,287. That leaves Luedtke 409 points, so if he stays on that pace, he would pass Nelson late in the regular season.
Of course, staying on such an insane scoring pace is much easier said than done. Luedtke led the state in scoring and assists last year with 19.2 points and 6.1 assists per game. Realistically, Luedtke would likely need to lead the Bulldogs on a deep postseason run to pass Nelson.
While Graham led the Bulldogs in scoring in the win over Central, she is not the only player with a big performance in the rivalry game. Butte High got contributions from up and down the bench.
Senior Emma Johnson scored nine points in the win. Freshmen Ellison Graham and Saege Grey each scored eight points apiece, junior Allie Becker tossed in seven, senior Franki Salusso scored six and junior Kendallyn Schad netted five. Butte High also got three points from sophomore Stella Callaghan and two from junior Avery Barsness.
The win lifted Butte High to 2-2. The Bulldogs opened the season with a win at Bozeman before falling at home to Dillon and on the road to Billings West.
Butte High’s boys will be looking to go to 5-0 after their 71-30 win over the Maroons.
Luedke scored 32 points to lead the Bulldogs, who shot 57.6 percent from the field (19 of 33). That includes a 10-for-20 performance from the 3-point line.
While the Bulldogs could not miss, Butte Central had a frigid night shooting, thanks in large part to a tough Butte High defense. The Bulldogs held the Maroons 21 percent shooting (10 of 47). That includes a 2-for-22 performance from behind the 3-point line.
BC entered the game as a hot-shooting team, jumping out to a 4-0 start to the season.
Senior Cayde Stajcar, who returned to the team after not playing as a sophomore or junior, was key on the boards, where the Bulldogs held a decided advantage. Stajcar led the team with 12 rebounds, including nine on defense.
Senior Josh Liston scored eight points, Stajcar and seniors Rhett Arntson and Mitch Verlanic each scored six, 6-foot-9 sophomore Brady Hanson scored five, senior James Peterson scored four, and junior Brady Walsh and senior Ryan Hanson each tossed in two.
The showdown with the Raptors will be the only action of the week for Butte High. The Bulldog boys and girls will head to Kalispell to take on Flathead and Glacier Jan. 9 and 10.
Butte Central’s break will end up more than two weeks. The Maroons don’t play until Jan. 8, when the boys’ and girls’ teams will head to Anaconda for a doubleheader with the Copperheads.
The Maroons will open Southwestern A play Jan. 10 against Stevensville. The girls will play at home, while the boys head to the Bitterroot Valley.
LeProwse Invite is Friday, Saturday
Butte High and Butte Central’s wrestlers will get right back at it, too, competing in the Tom LeProwse Invitational Friday and Saturday at Gallatin High School in Bozeman.
The tournament is named after the Butte High and Bozeman legend. The late Tom LeProwse, played football at Butte High and MSU before becoming a Montana coaching icon with the Bozeman Hawks. He was inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
Action begins at 11 a.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Butte is coming off a 7-1 performance at the Pat Weede Memorial dual tournament in Gillette Wyoming.
Junior Bridger Garrison (at 157 pounds) and senior Ryder McEwen (144) led the Bulldogs, going undefeated in their eight matches on the weekend. Senior Darryn Rossiter won seven matches at 132 pounds.
Junior Bradey Doyle (138), senior Keegan Hunt (120) and sophomore Reveles McEwen (144) picked up six wins for the Bulldogs, while Junior Bode Hazlett (150) and freshman Renzy LeProwse (106) both win five matches. Senior Caden Phillips (215), junior Cameron Fleege (165) and eighth grader Crew O’Conner (113) won four.
Butte High’s girls will compete Friday and Saturday at the Belgrade Invitational. The Bulldogs closed out their December schedule at the CMR Holiday Classic in Great Falls.
Wrestling for that tournament begins at 11:30 a.m. on Friday and 8:30 on Saturday.
Senior Mattie Stepan led the way for the Bulldogs, placing fifth at 155 pounds. Eighth grader Adalie Hazlett (125 pounds) and senior Peyton Liva (105) took seventh, and junior Chyanne Robinson (235) and senior Jessic Blow (125) finished eighth.
Swimmers have week off
The swimming teams from Butte High and Butte Central will also get an extended break from competition.
Next up is the Jan. 10 Butte Invitational at the Butte Family YMCA. The Bulldogs and Maroons will compete in that meet.
Butte High’s girls will be coming off a team title at the Dec. 20 Big Fork Invitational in Polson.
