by Scott Sacry
Florence
On Wednesday, January 25th, the Florence boys traveled north to play the state’s No. 2 ranked Class B team in Missoula Loyola and lost, 63-85. The game was closer than the score would indicate, as the Falcons only trailed 38-41 at halftime. But Loyola outscored Florence 24-12 in the 4th quarter to earn the win. Patrick Duchien had a big game with 26 points. Jesse Padilla had 12, and Brodie Hinsdale added 10. Then on Thursday, Florence defeated Stevensville, 46-29.
The Florence girls played Missoula Loyola on Monday, January 23rd and lost, 39-59. Then on Thursday they hosted Stevensville and won, 34-23, in a defensive slugfest. In this game, Trista Williams led Florence with 8 points, and Olivia Coulter and Taylor Pyette each had 6 points.
Corvallis
The Corvallis boys hosted a tough Dillon team on Thursday, January 26th and lost, 26-69. The Blue Devils fell down early and weren’t able to get any momentum on offense against the athletic Dillon defense. Dillen Potter led the scoring with 7 points, and Aaron Powell and Aydan Mayn each added 5 points. Their scheduled game against Butte Central was postponed because of the weather.
The Corvallis girls traveled to Dillon on Thursday to play the undefeated and No. 1 ranked Class A team and lost, 18-63. The young Corvallis squad kept it close in the 1st quarter, trailing 11-13, but Dillon dominated down the stretch to earn the victory. Ava Loren and Farah Wyche each had 5 points, and Tylin Sorenson added 4 points. Their scheduled game against Butte Central was postponed because of the weather.
Darby
The Darby girls played Lincoln on Friday, January 27th and handily defeated the Lynx, 43-21. Darby jumped out a 26-7 halftime lead and cruised to the victory. Darby’s defense was stellar, only allowing 10 points in the first three quarters. Makena Hawkinson led the scoring with 11 points, Kylie Schlapman and Sierra Reed each scored 8, and Kyleigh Flux added 7.
The Darby boys also played Lincoln on Friday and the Tigers earned their 8th straight victory, winning 71-43. Darby led 33-24 at halftime then dominated the second half, outscoring Lincoln 38-19. Darby’s Cullen Duggan had a monster game with 28 points to lead all scorers, Hooper Reed was steady with 18, and Devyn Hundley and Will Martin added 6 each.
Victor
The Victor boys traveled to Philipsburg on Thursday, January 26th. The Pirates led 25-23 at halftime, but got cold in the second half and fell to the Prospectors, 42-51. Brandon Bowen led with 17 points, followed by Alec Rowlan with 7, and Landon Nuttall and Jordan McLane each had 6 points.
The Victor girls also played Philipsburg, but ran into a buzzsaw and were defeated 17-74 by a strong Pburg team. Nola Smorowski and Virginia Brown each scored 8 points to lead Victor.