by Scott Sacry
The boys and girls basketball teams of Corvallis played games against two Bitterroot Valley opponents last week, hosting Stevensville on Tuesday, January 10th, then playing Florence later in the week.
The Corvallis boys hosted Stevensville on Tuesday, January 10th and won, 64-37. After a sluggish start for both teams, Corvallis built a 28-13 halftime lead. Stevensville showed signs of clawing their way back into the game, but in the end Corvallis’s depth was too much for a Stevensville squad who only suits seven players.
For Corvallis, Tyler Weis had 13 points, Leif Jessop had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks, Ryan Hutchison had 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. For Stevensville, Kellan Beller led with 12 points, and T.J. Brown and Tad Tackes each added 8 points.
Stevensville’s head coach Clayton Curley said of the game, “Our players always play hard, but will definitely tire out there with only seven players. The team is always improving, and I’m proud of the effort they put in every week.”
The Stevensville boys traveled to Butte Central on Saturday. Central is the defending state champion and is ranked No. 2 (406mtsports.com) this season. The Maroons raced out to a 43-17 halftime lead and cruised to a 71-38 victory. For Stevensville, Tad Tackes led with 15 points, Gracen Trevino had 9, and Kellan Beller added 8.
On Thursday, the Corvallis boys took on another Bitterroot Valley foe, Florence, and won, 58-51. The game was close early, and Florence held a 12-7 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. Corvallis’s full court press helped them outscore the Falcons 15-5 in the 2nd quarter, giving them a 22-17 halftime lead. Corvallis held a 4-point lead late in the game, and made their free throws down the stretch to secure the victory. Aaron Powell led the way with 21 points, Leif Jessop had 12, and Dillen Potter added 10. For Florence, Jesse Padilla had 16 points, Patrick Duchien had 13, and Ethan Alexander added 11.
Corvallis’s coach Cameron Criddle said, “I really challenged our team to turn up the defensive pressure, and I’m very happy with the effort they gave. We need to make sure we stay on track as we have some challenging games coming up.” Corvallis will play four of the state’s best teams in the next couple of weeks in Hamilton, Dillon, Frenchtown and Butte Central.
The Corvallis girls hosted Stevensville on Tuesday, January 10th and lost, 48-29. The game was close in the first half, with Stevensville leading 18-13 at halftime. But after halftime it was all Stevensville as they outscored Corvallis 30-16 in the final two quarters to earn the win.
On Saturday, the Stevensville girls traveled to Butte Central and won, 66-59, in an overtime thriller. Stevensville controlled the game throughout, but Butte rallied late to force overtime behind a 42 point performance by Brooke Badovinac. Stevensville composed themselves and dominated the overtime for the win. For Stevensville, Claire Hutchison, who had multiple steals on defense, led with 18 points, Dawsyn Brewer had 13, and Shilo Lampi added 12.
On Friday the 13th, the Corvallis girls hosted Florence. Florence stormed out of the gates leading 21-7 after the 1st quarter. But the 2nd quarter was all Corvallis, as they outscored Florence 17-6 and trailed only 27-24 at half. The 2nd half was even, and with 2:26 to play in the 4th quarter the score was tied, 42-42. But from then on it was all Florence as they scored the game’s final six points to secure the victory.
For Florence, Trista Williams led with 12 points, Olivia Coulter had 9, and Josie Lewis and Kenzy Pickering each had 8 points. For Corvallis, Ava Loren led with 13 points, Ella Varner had 8, Tylin Sorenson and Brecklyn Jessop each had 6 points.