by Scott Sacry
Corvallis’s girls and boys basketball teams hosted Stevensville last Thursday in front of a raucous Bitterroot Valley crowd. The boys played first and Corvallis won convincingly, 62-22. Stevensville’s boys played hard and kept fighting, but Corvallis proved to have too much firepower. Corvallis led 11-5 after a slow first quarter, then ran out to a 28-10 halftime lead. Corvallis’s Leif Jessop hit three 3-pointers early in the third to propel the Blue Devils to a 48-18 lead to start the fourth. Corvallis’s Donovan Potter led a balanced attack with 17 points, Leif Jessop had 11, and Aaron Powell and Tyler Weis each added nine. Kellan Beller led Stevensville with seven points, and Cole Olson and Lorenzo Grazzani each had six.
The girls game proved to be a bit closer, with Corvallis winning 34-29 in overtime. Both teams had trouble scoring, thanks to strong defensive play by both sides. In the end, Corvallis made the shots when it mattered. A sluggish first half ended with Corvallis holding a narrow 12-11 lead. Stevensville exploded in the third quarter and led 26-21 going into the fourth. Corvallis gradually closed the gap and with 50 seconds left Corvallis had the ball with the score tied 28-28. Stevensville’s stout defense forced a loose ball and in the ensuing scrum, Stevensville fouled Brecklyn Jessop who made one of two free throws to give Corvallis a 29-28 lead. Stevensville’s next possession ended with Olivia Cannon getting fouled on a shot and having two free throws with 4 seconds left. She missed the first one but rattled in the second to tie the game. Corvallis’s last second shot by Olivia Lewis rolled off the rim, forcing overtime. In overtime, Stevensville struggled to score and Corvallis scored five for the 34-29 victory. Corvallis was led by Madeline Gilder with 14 points, Brecklyn Jessop had seven, Ericka Jessop had six, and Tylin Sorensen added four. Stevensville got solid play from Claire Hutchison, Shilo Lampi, Kelti Wandler, Dawson Brewer, and Hailey Thomas.
The Stevensville boys hosted Butte Central on Tuesday, February 8th and lost 27-64 to a powerful Butte Central team. Kellan Beller led the ‘Jackets with 12 points, Gracen Travino had eight, and Lorenzo Grazzani added four. The Stevensville girls faced Butte Central on Tuesday, February 8th and lost, 41-58. Claire Hutchison led Stevensville with 16 points, Hailey Thomas added six, while Dawsyn Brewer, Olivia Gray, Shilo Lampi, and Shelby Coleman each scored five.
The Corvallis boys faced Hamilton on Tuesday, February 8th and won, 55-41. This was a huge win for Corvallis as they hadn’t beaten Hamilton since 2014. For Corvallis, Aaron Powell had a big night with 20 points, Ryan Hutchison added 12, and Tyler Weis had seven. For Hamilton, Eli Taylor led with 12 points, Asher Magness had 11, and Cole Dickemore added 6. The Corvallis girls faced Hamilton on Tuesday, February 8th and Hamilton cruised to a 57-31 victory. Madeline Gilder and Tahnee Lewis led Corvallis with nine points each and Ericka Jessop added four.