-
Central girls put season on the line
Bulldogs, Maroons ready for more
It is do-or-die time for the Butte Central girls’ basketball team.
The Maroons will play Stevensville in a Western A Divisional play-in game at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Maroon Activities Center. The winner will advance to take on Hamilton in another play-in game Saturday in Hamilton.
Central needs to win both games to play in the Western A Divisional tournament, which is March 5-7 in Hamilton.
The Maroons are the No. 5 seed from the Southwestern A after finishing the regular season at 6-12 overall and 3-7 in conference. The Yellowjackets are the sixth seed at 1-17 and 0-10.
Stevensville has not won since its 46-34 season-opening victory Dec. 9 against Valley Christian. The Yellowjackets have lost 17 straight, including a pair of lopsided losses to the Maroons. BC beat Stevi 59-23 Jan. 10 in Butte and 60-42 Jan. 31 in Stevensville.
Hamilton is the No. 4 seed, and the winner of the Saturday play-in game will open the divisional tournament at 8 p.m. against Bigfork on Thursday, March 5. Bigfork is the top seed from the Northwestern A.
The extra home game will give BC seniors Caden Tippett and Arika Stajcar one more game at the MAC after Tuesday’s Senior Night loss to Dillon.
Stajcar is usually joined in the starting lineup by sophomores Kenzie McQueary, Zayonna Otherbull and Braelynn Schelin and junior Rylee Forbes. Eighth graders Jordyn Samson and Luci Fantini are quickly off the bench along with junior Marly Mansanti and sophomore Evyn Smith. Eighth graders Mila Carriger and Blake Smith can also contribute for the Maroons, who will be playing without sophomore Jaedyn Maldonado.
Maldonado, who emerged as a true weapon off the bench for the Maroons, will miss the rest of the season with a fractured elbow. She joins a long list of Maroons to miss significant time with injuries this season.
Bulldog girls punch ticket
For the second straight year — and the second time this decade — Butte High’s girls’ basketball team will compete at the Class AA State tournament.
This year’s tournament will be held March 12-14 at MetraPark First Interstate Arena in Billings.
At 12-6 overall and 10-3 in conference heading into Friday’s season finale at Missoula Big Sky, Butte High will be the No. 2 seed from the Western AA. The Bulldogs will open the State tournament at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, against the No. 3 seed from the Eastern AA. (Bracket)
That comes a year after the Bulldogs played on Saturday night at the State tournament, placing fourth in Bozeman.
Coach Bryan Arntson’s girls punched their ticket Tuesday by rolling to a win at Missoula Sentinel while Big Sky beat Missoula Hellgate. At 16-2 and 13-0, Big Sky has long since secured the top seed.
Since the Class AA moved away from divisional tournaments, the top two teams automatically advance to the state tournament. The bottom two teams have no chance to play in the post season, and the middle four teams play in playoff games.
So, Friday’s game at Big Sky will be the last for the Bulldogs before a nearly two-week layoff.
When the Eagles and Bulldogs met Jan. 27 in Butte, Big Sky left town with a 61-53 victory. Kenzie Schmitz, a 6-foot sophomore, scored 26 points in the win. Senior Avory DeCoite tossed in 19.
The Graham sisters combined for 29 points to lead the Bulldogs. Junior Cadence Graham scored 15, while freshman Elli Graham came off the bench to score 14.
Cadence Graham is joined in the starting lineup by seniors Franki Salusso and Emma Johnson and juniors Allie Becker and Autumn Clary.
Saege Grey, a freshman, and Elli Graham are the first players off the bench along with junior Kendallyn Schad.
Sophomore Stella Callaghan and juniors Avery Barsness, Reese Johnson and Ellie Yates also contribute for the Bulldogs, who have won six of their last seven games.
Butte High will be making consecutive appearances at the state tournament since Jeff Arntson’s teams went to the dance eight straight seasons from 2006 through 2013.
Bulldog boys host playoff preview
When Missoula Big Sky comes to town to take on the Butte High boys’ basketball team at 7 p.m. Friday at the Ross J. Richardson Memorial Gymnasium, it will be the first of two meetings between the teams in less than a week.
Butte High is locked into the No. 3 seed in the Western AA, and Big Sky can do no better or worse than No. 6.
That means Butte High and Big Sky will play a playoff game at the Richardson Gym at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 5. The winner of that game will go to the state tournament.
Butte High’s 71-65 win over Missoula Sentinel at the Richardson Gym snapped the Spartans’ 15-game winning streak. The game, though, had no effect on postseason seeding.
It did, however, feel pretty darn good for the Bulldogs to avenge a 41-point loss. If the Bulldogs play defense like they did Tuesday, they could make a serious run to Saturday at the State tournament.
They also got perhaps the most offensive balance of the season.
Brady Hanson, a 6-9 sophomore, matched his career high with 19 points. That marked just the third game this season that senior guard Hudson Luedtke did not lead the team in scoring.
Luedke scored in 16 points, and he is averaging 24.3 points per game. He is in a tight race with Sentinel star Lincoln Rogers for the Class AA scoring title. Luedtke also leads the Class AA in assists with 5.3 per game.
With his 16 points on Tuesday, Luedtke moved over 1,600 for his career. He now has 1,608 points. Bulldog great Lexie Nelson, who finished her career in 2010, holds the Butte school record with 1,696 points.
Former Butte Central star Dougie Peoples holds the Butte boys’ record with 1,683 points.
Seniors Rhett Arntson and Mitch Verlanic also scored in double digits. Arntson tossed in 13, and Verlanic netted 10. Both sank two 3-pointers.
Senior Cayde Stajcar scored nine points, while classmate Josh Liston and junior Raeder Grey each scored two.
Seniors James Pearston and Kendel Noctor also contributed to Butte High’s inspired defense.
Butte High beat Big Sky 62-54 when the teams met Jan. 27 in Missoula. Senior Cole Siberstein scored 14 points to lead the Eagles in that game. Freshman Jack McGowan added 10.
BC boys are No. 2 seed
Tuesday’s 49-46 home loss to Dillon put Butte Central’s boys’ basketball team in a three-way tie for first place in the Southwestern A at 8-2 with Dillon and Frenchtown.
Frenchtown gets the No. 1 seed in next week’s Western A Divisional in Hamilton thanks to the tiebreaker. BC is No. 2, and Dillon is the third seed.
That means the Maroons, who finished the regular season at 15-3, will play Browning in the first round of the divisional tournament at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5. Click here for brackets for the boys’ and girls’ tournaments.
Central beat Browning 67-55 when the teams opened the season Dec. 12 at a tipoff tournament in Frenchtown. Browning finished the regular season at 11-7 overall and 8-4 in conference.
Junior guard Joshua Sutton will enter the postseason run with 972 career points.
We will take a closer look at the Western A Divisional tournament next week.
-
Beavers take two from Maroons
The Dillon Beavers put a damper on Senior Night Tuesday at the Maroon Activities Center.
Dillon swept a Southwestern A doubleheader with the Maroons. The Beavers beat BC’s boys 49-46 before the Dillon girls topped the Maroons 46-28.
The games close the season for both teams.
BC, Dillon and Frenchtown will finish in a first-place tie at 8-2 in conference play on the boys’ side. All three will advance to the Western A Divisional tournament, which is March 5-7 in Hamilton.
Central’s girls will play a play-in game against Stevensville at 6 p.m. Thursday at the MAC. The winner of that game will go to Hamilton for another play-in game on Saturday.The Dillon girls previously punched their ticket to the divisional tournament.
BOYS
Dillon 49, Butte Central 46
Dillon jumped out fast and had the Maroons playing catch up throughout.Aason Munday scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half to lead the Beavers, who improved to 12-6 overall. Cohen Hartman tossed in 11, and Will Hansen netted eight points.
The Beavers also got five from Braxtyn Turney, four from Canin Christiansen and three from Paxton Puyer.
BC senior Ryan Peoples did not go down without a fight in his last game in the MAC. Peoples, the only senior on the BC boys’ team, scored 23 points to lead all scorers for the Maroons, who close the regular season at 15-3.
He was the lone Maroon to reach double figures. Noah Sutton and Joshua Sutton each scored seven points for the Maroons. Jaxon Hiatt tossed in five, and Burkley Lakkala netted four.
Cade Kelly and GG Fantini also contributed for the Maroons.
DILLON (12-6, 8-2) — Canin Christiansen 2 0-0 4, Braxtyn Turney 1 3-5 5, Cohen Hartman 4 1-4 11, Will Hansen 2 3-4 8, Aason Munday 8 2-7 18, Noah Feenstra 0 0-0 0, Paxton Puyear 1 0-0 3, Gage Curnow 0 0-0 0, Caleb Stebbins 0 0-0 0, Garrett Tackett 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 9-20 49.
BUTTE CENTRAL (15-3, 8-2) — Ryan Peoples 7 7-10 23, Cade Kelly 0 0-0 0, Joshua Sutton 2 3-3 7, GG Fantini 0 0-0 0, Jaxon Hiatt 2 1-2 5, Noah Sutton 2 2-2 7, Burkley Lakkala 2 0-0 4. Totals 14 13-17 46.
Dillon 15 8 16 8 — 49
Central 4 14 19 18 — 46
3-point goals — Dillon 4 (Hartman 2, Hansen, Puyear), BC 3 (Peoples 2, N. Sutton). Fouls — Dillon 20, BC 19. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.GIRLS
Dillon 46, Butte Central 28
Tess Tash poured in 13 of her game-high 22 points as the Beavers completed the season sweep of the Maroons.She was joined in double figures by teammate Kaitlyn Konen, who finished with 10 points. Cassie Keller tossed in six points for Dillon, which closed the regular season at 16-2 overall and 9-1 in conference.
Brynna Gibson scored three points, Landri Hartman netted two, and Kera Sampson tossed in one.
Zayonna Otherbull’s nine points paced the Maroons, who fell to 6-12 and 3-7. Kenzie McQueary drained a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points.
Central also got four points from Rylee Forbes, three from Braelyn Schelin and two apiece from Luci Fantini and Jordyn Samson.
Seniors Arika Stajcar and Caden Tippett started and contributed to the BC effort. Blake Smith, Marly Mansanti, Natalie Osterman and Mila Carriger also played for BC.
DILLON (16-2, 9-1) — Cassie Keller 2 1-1 6, Shannon Martin 0 0-0 0, Landri Hartman 1 0-0 2, Tess Tash 8 4-7 22, Kaitlyn Konen 4 4-5 10, Kena Sampson 0 1-2 1, Taytum Tash 0 0-0 0, Reine McCoy 0 0-0 0, Baylor Malesich 0 0-0 0, Brynna Gibson 1 1-1 3, Kenndyl Meine 0 0-0 0. 16 11-16 46.
BUTTE CENTRAL (6-12, 3-7) — Caden Tippett 0 0-0 0, Kenzie McQueary 3 0-0 8, Zayonna Otherbull 4 1-4 9, Braelyn Schelin 1 0-0 3, Arika Stajcar 0 0-2 0, Rylee Forbes 0 4-6 4, Jordyn Samson 1 0-0 2, Luci Fantin 1 0-0 2, Marly Mansanti 0 0-0 0, Natalie Osterman 0 0-0 0, Mila Carriger 0 0-0 0, Blake Smith. Totals 10 5-12 28.
Dillon 13 12 12 0 — 46
Central 10 2 13 3 — 28
3-point goals — Dillon 3 (Tess Tash 2, Keller), BC 3 (McQueary 2, Schelin). Fouls — Dillon 14, BC 15. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none. -
Butte High girls punch ticket to State, Bulldog boys make a statement
Butte High pulled of a bigtime sweep of Missoula Sentinel in Western AA basketball games Tuesday night.
The Bulldog girls went to Missoula to knock off the Spartans 54-28. That win, coupled with a Missoula Hellgate home loss to Missoula Big Sky, means the Bulldogs clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western AA.
The top two teams earn berths to the Class AA State tournament, which is March 12-14 in Billings.
Butte High’s boys, meanwhile, can finish no better than third place. They will have to win a home playoff game to advance. The Bulldogs, though, made a serious statement by beating Sentinel 71-65 at the Richardson Gym.
The victory snapped Sentinel’s 15-game winning streak. The Spartans have not lost since they fell 49-42 to Billings West Dec. 13 in Missoula.
Butte High’s teams will close the regular-season Friday against Missoula Big Sky. The girls go on the road, while the boys will celebrate Senior Night at the Richardson Gym.
GIRLS
Butte High 54, Missoula Sentinel 28
MISSOULA —Sentinel led 9-4 after the first quarter.Then the Bulldogs busted loose, outscoring the Spartans 37-13 in the middle two quarters to take over the game.
Cadence Graham hit four 3-poitners and scored 21 points to lead the Bulldogs, who improved to 12-6 overall and 10-3 in league play. Saege Grey came off the bench to score 11 points, including seven in the third quarter.
Allie Becker notched seven points, and Elli Graham hit a pair of threes and scored six points. The Bulldogs also got three points from Franki Salusso and two apiece from Autumn Clary, Emma Johnson and Avery Barsness. Kendallyn Schad, Tella Callaghan, Ellie Yates and Reese Johnson also contributed for the Bulldogs.
Andrin Reimers scored eight points to pace the Spartans. Kenzie Cline added seven.
BUTTE HIGH (12-6, 10-3) — Allie Becker 2 1-2 7, Cadence Graham 6 5-5 21, Autumn Clary 1 0-0 2, Franki Salusso 1 0-0 3, Emma Johnson 1 0-0 2, Elli Graham 2 0-0 6, Saege Grey 4 2-2 11, Kendallyn Schad 0 0-0 0, Stella Callaghan 0 0-0 0, Ellie Yates 0 0-0 0, Reese Johnson 0 0-0 0, Avery Barsness 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 8-9 54.
MISSOULA SENTINEL (7-11, 4-9) — Avery Ogren 3 0-0 6, Andin Reimers 3 2-2 8, Kenzie Cline 2 1-2 7, Ryen Hobbs 1 0-0 2, Mischa Meyer 0 0-0 0, Lucy Pfahler 1 2-2 4, Kaysa Fuller 0 1-2 1, Olivia Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Kaelynn Gross 0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Rupert 0 0-0 0, Hayden Slater 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 6-8 28.
Butte 4 19 18 13 — 54
Sentinel 9 6 7 6 — 28
3-point goals — Butte 10 (C. Graham 4, Becker 2, E. Graham 2, Grey, Salusso), Sentinel 2 (Cline 2). Fouls — Butte 9, Sentinel 14. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.BOYS
Butte High 71, Missoula Sentinel 65
The Bulldogs used outstanding defense and a balanced offensive attack to make a major statement in this one, avenging a blowout loss.Sentinel beat the Bulldogs 77-36 Jan. 30 in Missoula.
Sophomore Brady Hanson matched his career high with 19 points, and he was huge on the boards to held plead the Bulldogs to the win. Senior Hudson Luedtke tossed in 16 points, and classmate Rhett Arntson came off the bench to score 13 for the Dogs, who improved to 14-4 overall and 9-4 in conference.
Mitch Verlanic joined the double-digit parade with nine points, while fellow senior Cayde Stajcar scored nine points to go along with what had to be a double-digit rebounding performance.
Josh Liston and Raeder Grey each scored two. They were joined in a tough defensive effort by Kendel Noctor and James Pearston.
Sentinel star Lincoln Rogers scored 32 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Spartans, who fell to 12-1 in conference and 16-2 overall. Eau O’Reilly scored 15, and Stellan Ridley tossed in 10.
MISSOULA SENTINEL (16-2, 12-1) — Gavin O’Reilly 0 3-4 3, Lincoln Rogers 11 7-9 32, Beau O’Reilly 6 0-0 15, Zeke Glidewell 1 0-0 3, Stellan Ridley4 2-4 10, Jayson McLennan 0 0-0 0, Tucker Laslovich 1 0-0 2, Kaden Thennis 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 12-17 65.
BUTTE HIGH (14-4, 9-4) — Cayde Stajcar 4 1-2 9, Hudson Luedtke 5 4-7 16, Mitch Verlanic 4 0-0 10, Josh Liston 1 0-0 2, Brady Hanson 8 3-4 19, Rhett Arntson 4 3-5 13, Kendel Noctor 0 0-0 0, James Pearston 0 0-0 0, Raeder Grey 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 11-18 71
Sentinel 14 18 12 21 — 65
Butte 22 19 10 20 — 71
3-point goals — Sentinel 7 (Rogers 3, B. O’Reilly 3, Glidewell), Butte 6 (Luedtke 2, Verlanic 2, Arntson 2). Fouls — Sentinel 17, Butte 15. Fouled out — none. Technical — Sentinel book error. -
Podcast No. 326: Brenda Wahler
Many of us Butte Rats think we know Marcus Daly, the famed Copper King whose likeness is immortalized in a statue that sits on top of West Park Street.
Well, Brenda Wahler really knows Marcus Daly. She probably knows him as well as anybody currently alive, anyway.
Brenda has written two books about Daly. Her first book, “Marcus Daly’s Road to Montana,” was released in 2023. Her next book, “Marcus Daly’s Montana Empires,” will hit the book shelves next Tuesday, March 3.
Together, these are the first comprehensive biographies of Daly since 1956.
In the books, she details the complex life of man who was both beloved and feared. They are a must read for anyone interested in the history of Butte, Montana or well beyond.
Brenda will be in the area to talk about her book several times over the next month. She will do a reading at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 6, at the Montana Hotel in Anaconda. On March, 11, she will give a talk at the Butte-Silver Bow Archives Brown Bag Lunch series. That starts at noon.
Then she will be part the Butte-Silver Bow Public Library’s First Friday series at noon on April 3. She also plans an April 18 talk the World Museum of Mining.
Brenda, a Helena attorney when she is not researching and writing about history, was born in Great Falls and raised around horses. She previously published a book titled “Montana Horse Racing: A History.”
Earlier today, I caught up with Brenda over Zoom for a fun conversation.
Listen as she talks about researching the legendary Copper King and explains his complicated life. Listen as she talks about how he went from a poor Irish immigrant to a Gilded Age magnate.
Listen in to hear about how she would probably rather have a beer with Daly instead of William Clark.
Listen to hear how Brenda got into history and some of the great historians she learned from along the way.
Today’s podcast is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today. It is also available on YouTube:
-
A ref bailed out by an honest player
Last Friday, I got to referee the two boys’ subvarsity basketball games between Deer Lodge and Anaconda in the Smelter City.
Refereeing high school hoops is almost always fun because you are right in the middle of the battle. You are there with the players, and you get a great sense of the emotion of the game.
You also get to experience the cosmic balance of officiating. That is to say that there is never a time when everyone is happy with the call you make. Even if it is an obvious call, you get some grumblings from the side the call was against. That comes from the players, coaches and, more often, the fans.
Just when you might be feeling good about your call, you will hear some parent yell out, “That’s bulls—.”
That back and forth goes at least double when you are refereeing a rivalry game, and rivalries do not get much better than when the Copperheads play the Wardens from just down the road.
I worked the C squad boys’ game at the Fred Moodry Middle School gym. Then, along with the teams, I rushed over to the Snake Pit to be part of a three-man crew for the junior varsity game.
Both games were intense from the tipoff to the final buzzer. Each call drew praise from one side and disappointment from the other.
Both sides are well coached from the varsity on down. But both sides really wanted to beat the other. So, there was a bit of chirping back and forth from the players and coaches, but nothing that crossed the line.
Fans from both sides yelled at calls that did not go their way. It was so much fun. That is, it was fun right up until I had a brain cramp early in the junior varsity game.
No. 15 from Deer Lodge was fouled while scoring an inside basket. He was hit on the arm by No. 13 from Anaconda. I found out days later that No. 13 is Owen Krum, a boy I talked to a little bit during the C squad game about his new haircut.
Since my partner on the baseline had the same call as I did, I knew it was the right one. So, I went to report the foul with the confidence of 12 Mike Andersons.
“Count the bucket. Foul is on blue No. 15 … oh shoot.”
I put into my head the number of the boy who made the shot and was going to the line to shoot the free throw. I completely forgot which player from Anaconda committed the foul.
So, I ran down to my partner, who was getting ready to administer the free throw.
“Who was that foul on?” I asked as discretely as I could.
I was about to panic when he gave me a blank look. “I can’t remember,” he said.
We could not just guess or make up a call in that situation. We were about to look like buffoons when I looked to my left and saw Owen sheepishly raise his left hand about half way up.
“Was it on you?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said as he nodded.
“Thank you.”
I was so relieved. I was bailed out by a player’s honesty.
Now, I would never accuse any basketball player of being dishonest, but most of the players I have refereed have never committed a foul. At least 70 percent of the players seem genuinely shocked when you blow the whistle and call their number.
My favorite thing is when players reach out and make contact, and then put their hands straight up after they hear the whistle. That makes them look more guilty than O.J. when he pretended the glove did not fit.
I don’t blame the players for that. I also never committed a foul in my life, even though I fouled out quite a bit.
Back when I played freshman basketball, players were supposed to raise their hands to acknowledge the foul. I never raised my hand.
In grade school, I almost killed Josh Paffhausen as I tackled him into the stage in the Hillcrest gym during a basketball game. Then I argued the foul call.
Players are competitive, and sometimes that makes them argumentative. I have no problem with that as a referee. That is why in four seasons of officiating high school basketball, I have not called a single technical foul.
While I work as hard as I can to know the rules and get the calls right, I am not officiating for me. I am not trying to compete with other officials for votes to work tournament games.
I am officiating because I was asked a few years ago to help when the Butte pool was down in numbers. I do it so the players can play the game. Plus, it is fun.
So, I am perfectly content working subvarsity games for as long as my body will hold up. Give me two subvarsity games. Then I’ll shower and eat a pasty and drink a Mountain Dew while watching the varsity game.
Maybe that is why I do not get mad when fans yell at me. Usually, I just laugh at the comments.
I never get mad when a player argues a call. I did not even get mad a couple of weeks ago when an out-of-town player in a sophomore girls’ basketball game bounced the ball off my face. Sure, it hurt. My mouth was bleeding a little, and my eyes were watering from the bonk on the nose.
I wasn’t even mad when I saw the video that it looked like she bounded the ball hard at me on purpose. I don’t think she hit me in the mouth and nose on purpose, though. If she was that good, she would have scored more points.
I did not even get mad when that girl’s dad sent an angry message to my friend, who shared the video on Facebook, explaining that she was justifiably frustrated because she was getting fouled all game long and I would not blow my whistle.
Maybe I did miss a call or two, but it wasn’t intentional or from a lack of trying. I understand her frustration, even though her team was about to win when she hit me in the face.
That ball to the noggin, I figured, was just part of the cosmic balance of officiating. It never lets you get too high or too low.
After Owen bailed me out from my brain cramp, I breathed a sigh of relief. Then I went back to report the foul a second time. This time, I did not have that Mike Anderson confidence.
“Correction,” I said. “Count the bucket. Foul is on white No. 13. One shot.”
I turned to watch the free throw attempt feeling happy about what happened. Not only did we eventually get the call right, but I also learned that Owen is an incredible young man.
He did not have to fess up to that foul. I probably would not have done so when I was that age. But he did, and I will forever be grateful for that. I owe him bigtime.
But just when I was starting to feel too good about humanity, I heard a woman in the crowd yell at me loud enough for the entire gym to hear.
“That’s bulls—.”
— Bill Foley, who has been accused of being full of BS many times before, 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.
-
Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Crew O’Connor and Mattie Stepan
Butte High wrestlers Crew O’Connor and Mattie Stepan are this week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week.
The honors come after the Bulldogs completed the season at the Montana High School Association All-Class Wrestling Tournament at MetraPark Arena.
O’Connor, an eighth grader, takes home the boys’ honor after winning the state title at 103 pounds. He beat teammate Renzy LeProwse in the championship match.
O’Connor became the first Bulldog eighth grader to win a state title. He is also the first Class AA wrestler to win a title while in the eighth grade.
His pin against LeProwse in the third period was by far his closest match of the tournament. He pinned his first two opponents in the first period before ending his semifinal win over Bo Porter of Great Falls High with a technical fall 11 seconds into the third.
O’Connor closed his first season with the Bulldogs with a 33-7 record.
Stepan, a senior, takes home the girls’ accolade. She wrapped up her remarkable career by placing fourth at 155 pounds.
She advanced to the semifinals before dropping a 9-6 overtime thriller to Macy Tate of Baker.
Stepan became the first four-time place winner in Butte High girls’ wrestling history. She placed fourth as a junior, sixth as a sophomore and fourth as a freshman.
Stepan is also the first girl in the program to register 100 wins, and she also holds the Butte High girls’ record for most career wins with 108 victories.
She placed in every high school tournament she competed in.
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 O’Connor and Stepan provided by Alycia Holland Photography.
-
KC basketball schedule
Following is the Knights of Columbus Athletic Club’s four-man basketball schedule for the week of Feb. 23.
These are the first games for each team in the season-ending tournament. The rest of the bracket will be posted at the Felix Madrazo Gym.
The Spring League will begin March 9. The league will run 10 weeks and feature a season-ending double-elimination tournament. Cost is $125 per team, and teams can sign up at the KC or by contacting Dan Boyle at (406) 491-2529.
Monday
7 p.m. — ButteSports vs. Jellyfam
8 p.m. — Hoopballas vs. KenworthyTuesday
7 p.m. — Someday Starters vs. City Boys
8 p.m. — Everett-Cook Law vs. Washington GeneralsWednesday
8 p.m. — Poi Time
-
O’Connor wins title at 103 pounds as Bulldog boys place fourth at State
Mattie Stepan places fourth
BILLINGS — Crew O’Connor made some Butte High wrestling history Saturday at the Montana High School Association All-Class Wrestling Tournament.
Given the storied past of the Bulldog grapplers, that is not easy to do.
O’Connor pinned teammate Renzy LeProwse in 4 minutes, 59 seconds to claim the championship of the 103-pound division in the Class AA. With that win, O’Connor became the first Butte High eighth grader to win a state title on the mat.
The match was a rematch of last week’s Western AA Divisional 103-pound title bout, where O’Connor also beat LeProwse, a freshman.
O’Connor was the lone Bulldog to capture a title at the meet in which Butte High placed fourth for the second straight year.
Billings West won its fifth straight title with 237 points. Gallatin took second at 208.5, and Kalispell Flathead finished third at 196. The Bulldogs scored 183 points.
Senior Keegan Hunt and junior Bode Hazlett won state titles a year ago and were competing in heavier weight classes this year. Hunt took second at 110 pounds, falling to Billings Senior’s Hunter Beeman in 4:52.
Hazlett placed third at 157 pounds. He beat Great Falls Russell’s Teagan Dixon in an 8-7 thriller in the third-place match.
Senior Ryder McEwen and his sophomore brother Reveles McEwen each placed third in their weight classes. Ryder pinned Madden Jensen of CMR in 4:13 to claim third at 150 pounds. Reveles stuck Aiden Lake of Flathead in 4:12 to finish third at 118 pounds.
Also placing for the Bulldogs was senior Bridger Garrison, who took fifth at 165 pounds, and junior Bradey Doyle, who finished sixth at 132.
On the girls’ side, Bulldog senior Mattie Stepan closed her Bulldog wrestling career with her second straight fourth-place finish at State. Stepan advanced the semifinals before battling back to wrestle Leona Dodson Howe of Ronan for third place at 155 pounds. Dodson Howe won a 10-2 decions.
Senior Jessica Blow placed eighth for the Bulldogs, who took 19th overall in the girls’ division.
Billings Senior won the girls’ title for the fourth straight year with 232 points. Miles City took second at 148.5, and Laurel wrestled to third at 108. Butte High scored 54 points.
Also competing at state for the Bulldogs were Darryn Rossiter, Bridger Brancamp, Waylond Hicks, Aiden Maeser, Kasen O’Keefe, Kuley Queer and Blaise Perez on the boys’ side. Butte High girls who also competed at state were Adalie Hazlett, Peyton Liva, Loretta Matteson, Allie Ballensky, Rylee Radlciff, Lilyi Malone, Chaynne Robinson and Sage Queer.
Butte Central’s four wrestlers did not place in their weight classes. Competing for the Maroons were Jampel Hanley, Jack Holmes, Braydon Armstrong and Amira Gonzalez.
Complete results can be found at trackwrestling.com.
-
Maroons pick up Devil of a sweep
Butte Central’s varsity basketball team swept Corvallis in Southwestern A games Saturday afternoon.
Central’s girls went on the road to beat the Blue Devils in a 45-38 battle, while the BC boys rolled to a 66-25 win over Corvallis at the Maroon Activities Center.
The Maroons will close the regular season Tuesday when Dillon comes to town for a doubleheader. BC will be celebrating Senior Night, honoring seniors Caden Tippett, Arika Stajcar and Ryan Peoples before the games.
For the BC boys, a win over the Beavers would give them the outright Southwestern A regular-season title. Central’s girls will host Stevensville in the first Divisional play-in game on Thursday.
BOYS
Butte Central 66, Corvallis 25
Corvallis scored first in the one when Reese Tucker tossed in a buck after a nice pass from teammate Conner Jessop.That was the end of the good news for the Blue Devils.
Jaxon Hiatt buried a 3-pointer to put Central up 8-5 a few minutes later, and the Maroons took off. Central led 19-7 after the first quarter and 30-12 at halftime.
BC blew the game open with a 21-5 third quarter on its way to improving to 15-2 overall and 8-1 in the Southwestern A.
Despite sitting out the fourth quarter with the game in hand, BC junior Joshua Sutton sank four 3-pointers and scored 16 points to lead all scorers. That ran his career total to 965 points heading into Tuesday’s regular-season finale.
Cade Kelly scored 10 points, and Peoples and Hiatt each scored nine points. Peoples made 5 of 6 foul shots and scored all of his points in the first half to help the Maroons take control.
GG Fantini, who led the team with four steals, joined Noah Sutton with seven points.
Fantini and Peoples each dished out three assists.
Burkley Lakkala, who grabbed seven rebounds, scored three points, and Gunnar O’Brien sank a 3-pointer for his first varsity points of the season.
Henly Mansanti added too points for BC, which also got contributions from Teghan Sparks and Grady Button.
Jessop scored nine points to lead the Blue Devils, who fell to 3-15 and 2-9. Dylan Wirt scored four points and grabbed six rebounds, while Tucker, Nathan Keller, Michael Kearns and Trevin Epling each scored three.
CORVALLIS (3-15, 2-9) — Tanner Sorensen 0-2 0-0 0, Easton Jessop 0-2 0-0 0, Conner Jessop 4-11 0-0 9, Dylan Wirt 2-11 0-0 4, Reese Tucker 1-2 1-2 3, Dexter Harper 0-4 0-2 0, Nathan Keller 1-2 0-0 3, Cole Murdock 0-0 0-0 0, Michael Kearns 1-1 1-2 3, Trevin Epling 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 10-37 2-6 25.
BUTTE CENTRAL (15-2, 8-1) — Ryan Peoples 2-7 5-6 9, Cade Kelly 3-6 2-4 10, Joshua Sutton 6 -11 0-0 16, GG Fantini 3-6 0-0 7, Jaxon Hiatt 4-10 0-0 9, Noah Sutton 3-8 0-0 7, Burkley Lakkala 1-1 1-1 3, Henly Mansanti 1-2 0-0 2, Gunnar O’Brien 1-2 0-0 3, Teghan Sparks 0-0 0-0 0, Grady Button 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-53 8-11 66.
Corvallis 7 4 5 8 — 25
Central 19 11 21 15 — 66
3-point goals — Corvallis 3-16 (C. Jessop 1-4, Keller 1-1, Epling 1-1, Wirst 0-3, Harper 0-3, Sorensen 0-2, E. Jessop 0-2), BC 10-28 (J. Sutton 4-7, Kelly 2-2, N. Sutton 1-6, Hiatt 1-5, Fantini 1-3, O’Brien 1-2, Peoples 0-2, Mansanti 0-1). Rebounds — Corvallis 26 (Tucker 6, Wirt 6), BC 29 (Lakkala 7, Hiatt 5, Peoples 4). Assists — Corvallis 4 (C. Jessop 2), BC 10 (Peoples 3, Fantini 3, J. Sutton 2). Steals — Corvallis 0, BC 10 (Fantini 4, Hiatt 2). Turnovers — Corvallis 13, BC 3. Fouls — Corvallis 10, BC 10. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.GIRLS
Butte Central 45, Corvallis 38
CORVALLIS — The Maroons used a big third quarter to avenge a home loss to the Blue Devils.Central led 23-19 at halftime, and the Maroons took control with a 15-5 run in the third quarter as they improved to 6-11 overall and 3-6 in conference with the win over the third-place Blue Devils.
Zayonna Otherbull scored 13 points, and Luci Fantini came off the bench to toss in 11 to lead the Maroons in the win. Kenzie McQueary joined Fantini with a pair of 3-pointers. She scored eight points.
Jaedyn Maldonado scored five points, while Braelyn Schelin scored four, and Jordyn Samson and Rylee Forbes each scored two.
Stajcar also contributed for the Maroons.
Ava Loran scored 14 points to lead the Blue Devils, who fell to 8-10 and 5-5. Ella Varner poured in 11 points, and Kate Allen scored nine.
BUTTE CENTRAL (6-11, 3-6) — Kenzie McQueary 2 2-2 8, Zayonna Otherbull 6 1-3 13, Rylee Forbes 1 0-0 2, Braelyn Schelin 2 0-0 4, Arika Stajcar 0 0-2 0, Jordyn Samson 1 0-0 2, Jaedyn Maldonado 2 1-3 5, Luci Fantini 2 5-6 11. Totals 16 9-16 45.
CORVALLIS (8-10, 5-5) — Ava Loran 3 5-8 14, Ellie Knapp 0 0-0 0, Ella Varner 4 2-2 11, Kate Allen 3 2-2 9, Briella Epling 0 0-0 0, Kaia Benson 1 0-2 2, Savanna Johnson 0 0-0 0, Lauryn Homberg 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 9-14 38.
Central 10 13 15 7 — 45
Corvallis 12 7 5 14 — 38
3-point goals — BC 4 (McQueary 2, Fantini 2), Corvallis 5 (Loran 3, Varner, Allen). Fouls — BC 18, Corvallis 17. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none. -
Play-in game set for BC girls
Butte Central’s girls’ basketball team will play a home Western A Divisional play-in game against Stevensville Thursday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m. at the Maroon Activities Center.
With two regular-season games remaining, the Maroons are locked into the No. 5 seed in the Southwestern A. Stevensville is the No. 6 seed.
The winner of Thursday’s game will travel to No. 4 Hamilton on Saturday for a play-in game to advance to the Western A Tournament, which is March 5-7 in Hamilton.
Butte Central’s boys’ have clinched a top-three seed to qualify for the Divisional tournament.
Central’s teams play Corvallis today. The girls are on the road, while the boys’ will be at home. Both games tip off at 3 p.m.
The regular season ends Tuesday when Dillon comes to town for a doubleheader at the MAC.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 