The local basketball teams are gearing up for the final stretch of the regular season. Stevensville took on the defending state champion Butte Central Maroons. While they lost the game, the Lady Yellowjackets showed vast improvement and will be in the mix come tournament time. Corvallis handed league-leading Dillon their first conference loss. Upstart Troy handed Florence another loss while Victor defeated Darby to remain in the mix. Hamilton took on two Class AA teams and played well.
Butte Central came to Stevensville on Saturday. Although Stevensville scored first, Butte Central quickly took control of the game. Even though they had the lead, Stevensville pulled their way back into contention several times behind the scoring of Makayla Davids who finished with 12 points.
Butte Central 56, Stevensville 39
Butte Central – Thatcher 16, Peoples 12, Sorini 6, St. John 15, Tricia Joyce 3, Mullaney 2, Holm 2.
Stevensville – Megan Pendergast 2, Sidney Paul 1, Evynne Alexander 7, Angel Richards 7, Haley Kampka 8, Kayla Schmiedeke 2, Makayla Davids 12.
Corvallis pulled off an upset in Dillon when the Blue Devils topped Dillon, 44-38. The Blue Devils’ scored 17 points in the second quarter to give themselves a 12-point lead. They then held on for the win. Calla Haldorson had 14 points to pace Corvallis and Emme Warnken added 12 more.
Corvallis 44, Dillon 38
Corvallis – Stephanie Stoker 5, Penny Jessop 4, Calla Haldorson 14, Emme Warnken 12, Corinne Sanderson 7, Genesis Keith 2.
Dillon – Christiansen 6, Peterson 1, Truman 4, Berriochoa 9, Fitzgerald 19.
Victor jumped out to an early lead and then held on for the 13C conference win. The Lady Pirates put up 20 points in the first quarter behind the shooting of Payton Tillotson who finished with 25 points. Sophomore Madison Allred added 12 more in the game. Casey Ehmann finished with 19 points to lead Darby.
Victor 58, Darby 49
Darby – Casey Ehmann 19, Peyton Muir 5, Sarah Costello 7, Kimber Schlapman 2, Mackenzie Smith 12, Nichole Slanger 4.
Victor – Ashlynn Harrington 8, Madison Allred 12, Ashley Hopper 2, Jamie Burdett 8, Payton Tillotson 25, Hailey Kay 3.
Darby defeated Lincoln on Friday, 32-23. The Lady Tigers held the Lady Lynx to only three points in the first quarter and never allowed more than eight points in any quarter. Ehmann was again the high scorer with 12 points.
Darby 32, Lincoln 23
Darby – Casey Ehmann 12, Peyton Muir 6, Sarah Costello 3, Kimber Schlapman 2, Haley Frey 3, Mackenzie Smith 5, Nichole Slanger 1.
Lincoln – Dietz 8, Jorgenson 2, Reisch 13.
Florence was unable to overcome a strong second quarter by Troy and fell to the Lady Trojans, 51-48, even though they closed strongly. Danielle Zahn finished with 16 points to lead the Lady Falcons who fell to 9-3 overall.
Troy 51, Florence 48
Troy – Becquart 8, Coldwell 10, Downey 6, Rohrich 1, Brown 8, Lewis 18.
Florence – Autumn Round 6, Sarah Hopcroft 4, Jewel Zeiler 3, Rilee Mangun 5, McKenna Liles 9, Danielle Zahn 16, Chloe Arthur 5.
Hamilton took on Big Sky on Friday and nearly topped the Class AA team. The two teams were close throughout with Hamilton having a one-point lead at the half. But Big Sky came back in the third and went on to win. Hamilton had three players in double figures. Mallory McGill had 17 points, Tristy Searle finished with 12 points including two three pointers, and Rachael Ringer had 11 points.
Big Sky 54, Hamilton 51.
Big Sky – Riekena 19, McEnaney 17, Zanto 6, Todd 6, Louvar 2, Sweeney 2, Sandau 2.
Hamilton – Mallory McGill 17, Tristy Searle 12, Rachael Ringer 11, Kara Nye 6, Tessa Della Silva 3, Lauren Ryter 2.
Hamilton lost to the tough Missoula Sentinel Spartans who are undefeated this year. Sentinel built an early lead and never looked back. They went on to win, 65-36, in the non-conference game. Hamilton was paced by Searle’s 10 points.
Missoula Sentinel 65, Hamilton 36
Hamilton – Tessa Della Silva 5, Tristy Searle 10, Kara Nye 3, Mallory McGill 5, Reilly Rostad 6, Rachael Ringer 5, Lauren Ryter 2.
Sentinel – Bingham 2, Blakely 18, Stayner 16, Frohlich 9, Schweyen 7, Dailey 7, Deden 5, Steele 1.