by Scott Sacry
Boys play-in games
The Corvallis boys went to Frenchtown on Saturday, February 17th for the second Western A play-in game with a trip to Divisionals on the line. Corvallis fought tough and had their chances against the Broncs. The game was tied 31-31 at halftime, but the Blue Devils were outscored by nine points in the third quarter and were never able to get all the way back into the game. They did get within four points late in the 4th quarter, but they just couldn’t make that game-changing play, and lost 61-69, ending their season.
The Corvallis and Stevensville boys faced off in Corvallis on Thursday, February 15th in the first Western A Divisional play-in game. The Blue Devils started strong, leading 21-5 after one quarter. The ‘Jackets played tough, but didn’t have enough weapons to compete with Corvallis and fell 32-70.
For Corvallis, Cameron Whiteley had a big game with 17 points. Ryan Hutchison had 10, Bennett Boelman and Dillen Potter each had 9, Drew Lewis had 6, Logan Avery and Derek Criddle each had 5, Camron Dela Rosa had 3, and Aydan Mayn added 1.
For Stevensville, Kaeden Gum led with 7 points. Angus Trangmoe had 6, Kaden Wyant had 5, Jake Gavlak had 4, Easton Hollis and Gage Bierer each had 3, and Treyton Patzer and David Djokic each added 2.
Girls play-in games
The girls basketball teams from Corvallis and Stevensville played in Corvallis on Saturday, February 17th in the second Western A Divisional play-in game with a trip to Divisionals on the line.
The game was evenly matched throughout. Corvallis led 23-17 at halftime, but Stevensville chipped away at the lead in the second half. Both teams had a chance to win at the end but Corvallis prevailed 42-40. The difference was Corvallis’ clutch free throw shooting down the stretch.
In the first Western A Divisional play-in game, Stevensville traveled to Butte Central to take on the Lady Maroons. The Lady ‘Jackets played their most complete game of the season and defeated the Lady Maroons 34-20. Butte Central beat Stevensville in both games during the regular season, but Stevensville put it all together in this game and won their first game of the year in convincing fashion. For Stevensville, Addi Drye had a big game with 13 points. Cheyenne Sannar had 6, Holly St. Germain had 5, Shilo Lampi and Lexi Perez each had 4, and Haylie Tolley added 2.
Western A Divisional Preview
The Western A Divisional tournament for both the boys and girls takes place at the Butte Civic Center on February 22-24. There are three Bitterroot Valley teams competing: the Hamilton boys, the Hamilton girls, and the Corvallis girls.
The Hamilton boys are the top seed from the Western A and face Ronan, the 4th seed from the Northern A, on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. The winner faces either Dillon or Columbia Falls in the semi-finals on Friday. The Broncs are one of the top teams in the state and are a favorite for the divisional title. The field is stacked with five of the top six teams in Class A in the field in Frenchtown, Browning, Dillon, Butte Central and Hamilton. Then there’s Columbia Falls who Hamilton beat by only one point at the start of the season. Needless to say, the Broncs need to be at their best to advance to state.
The Hamilton girls are the 3rd seed out of the Western A and face Browning, the 2nd seed out of the Northern A, on Thursday at 12:00 p.m. The winner faces either Ronan or Frenchtown in the semi-finals on Friday. The Lady Broncs have a strong and solid team, but have some stiff competition at Divisionals and will need to play their best ball of the year to advance to state.
The Corvallis girls are the 4th seed from the Western A and get to face Bigfork, the #1 ranked Class A team in the state, on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. with the winner facing either Dillon or Columbia Falls in the Semis on Friday. The Corvallis girls are a scrappy bunch and hope to pull off the upset against some of the giants in this year’s Western A Divisionals.