by Scott Sacry
In Southwestern A basketball, the top three teams automatically qualified for the Western A Divisionals, which are in Whitefish this weekend on March 6-8.
The Hamilton girls took 3rd and are the only Bitterroot Valley basketball team that got an automatic bid; therefore all the other Bitterroot teams had divisional play-in games last week.
Boys play-in games
The top three Southwestern A boys teams this year were Dillon, Frenchtown and Butte Central. The boys teams from Stevensville, Corvallis and Hamilton had play-in games to determine the #4 seed for divisionals.
Corvallis 72, Stevensville 65
The Corvallis boys hosted Stevensville in the first divisional play-in game on Thursday, February 27. Both teams had been improving all year long and this was a competitive matchup.
Corvallis jumped out early and led 22-15 after one quarter and 41-26 at halftime. Stevensville didn’t give up and came back in the second half, and at the end of the game they almost evened the score, but Corvallis came through in the end and got the seven-point victory.
This ended the season for the Stevensville boys. The Yellowjackets had a tough season but didn’t lose their fight and played hard until the end. The program looks to be in good hands with enthusiastic first year head coach Kenny Begaye.
Hamilton 64, Corvallis 29
The Hamilton boys then hosted Corvallis in the second divisional play-in game on Saturday, March 1. The winner moved on to divisionals and the loser went home (both teams technically go home after the game, but you know what I mean).
Hamilton left little doubt that they deserved to move on to divisionals. They jumped out to a 24-3 first quarter lead and a 48-15 halftime lead. Then the Broncs coasted in the second half to a 64-29 victory, punching their ticket to the Western A Divisionals as the 4th seed.
Hamilton shot 65% from the field for the game and played defense at a high level, creating 14 total steals. Hamilton will be a tough team to beat in divisionals if they shoot this well and play this type of defense.
For Hamilton, Canaan Magness led the scoring with 19 points and added 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals. Jake McCarthy had one of his best games of the year, scoring 17 points and going 5 for 7 on three-pointers; he also had 2 steals. Tyler Jette did a bit of everything with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Asher Griffin had 5 points and 3 steals. Easton Hollis had 3 points. Reece Fowler and Trevyn Bakken each had 2 points, and Kaeden Gum added 6 rebounds.
The loss to Hamilton ended the season for the Corvallis boys. Corvallis has a talented group of young players, so the future looks bright for the Blue Devils.
Girls play-in games
The top three Southwestern A girls teams this year were Dillon, Frenchtown and Hamilton. The girls teams from Stevensville, Corvallis and Butte Central had play-in games to determine the #4 seed for divisionals.
Stevensville 13, Butte Central 59
Stevensville went to Butte Central for the first girls divisional play-in game on Thursday, February 27. The Stevensville girls got down early and didn’t have the offensive firepower to make a comeback, losing 13-59. This ends the season for the Stevensville girls. The Stevi girls fought hard all year and look to rebuild and come back stronger next year.
Corvallis 42, Butte Central 44
The Corvallis girls hosted Butte Central in the second girls divisional play-in game on Saturday, March 1. The Lady Blue Devils jumped out to a 17-9 first quarter advantage, but Central chipped away at the lead and eventually evened up the game. The game came down to the last possession. Corvallis had a chance, but was unable to take the lead and lost 42-44.
For Corvallis, Taryn Hochhalter and Ella Varner led the scoring with 14 points each. Ava Loran had 11, Autumn Benson and Kaia Benson each added 3.
This ended the season for the Corvallis girls. This young group is full of talent and looks to be a force to deal with next year.