by Scott Sacry
Florence
The Florence boys played Anaconda on Tuesday, January 10th and won, 57-42, behind a strong second half where they outscored the Copperheads 32-17. Jesse Padilla had a big game with 19 points, while Tyler Abbott added 9 and Ethan Alexander had 8 points. They played Corvallis on Thursday (see Corvallis story). Then in their third game of the week, Florence played Bigfork on Saturday and lost, 34-68. Tyler Abbott led with 12 points and Patrick Duchien added 6.
The Florence girls played Anaconda on Tuesday, January 10 and lost a close game, 42-45. Josie Lewis led the way with 10 points, followed by Olivia Coulter with 7 and Maggie Schneiter with 5. They played Corvallis on Friday (see Corvallis story). Then on Saturday, Florence hosted undefeated powerhouse Bigfork and lost, 31-69. Trista Williams had 10 points, Maggie Schneiter had 8, and Josie Lewis added 7.
Hamilton
The Hamilton boys traveled to East Helena on Thursday, Jan. 12th and defeated the Vigilantes, 71-55. Hamilton was down 15-17 after one quarter, then surged in the next three quarters for the win. Hamilton was led by seniors Eli Taylor and Asher Magness, Taylor had 22 points and A. Magness added 17 points.
On Saturday, they hosted a Dillon squad whose only two losses were to the top two ranked teams in the state in Lewiston and Butte Central. The game was close throughout and Hamilton came away with the 61-60 victory in overtime. Hamilton’s defense created 20 Dillon turnovers, and a clutch steal by Hamilton’s Eli Taylor in overtime sealed the victory – Taylor had a team-high 5 steals in the game. Asher Magness led the scoring with 22 points and Cole Dickemore added 15.
The Hamilton girls made quick work of East Helena on Thursday, winning, 51-22. Then on Saturday they hosted undefeated Dillon, who is Class A’s No. 2 ranked team (406mtsports.com). Hamilton started slowly, trailing 2-13 after the first quarter, but the Lady Broncs rallied in the 2nd quarter to close the gap. But they fell short in the end, losing, 41-45.
Victor
The Victor boys traveled to Lincoln on Thursday and outscored the Lynx 11-2 in the third quarter in route to a 39-35 victory. Jordan McLane led the scoring with 14 points, while Brandon Bowen and Landon Nuttall each added 8 points. Then on Saturday night they traveled to Drummond and lost, 32-57. Jordan McLane led with 14 points, followed by Brandon Bowen with 9.
The Victor girls also traveled to Lincoln on Thursday and won, 44-33. Victor trailed 24-28 going into the 4th quarter, but outscored Lincoln 20-5 in the final frame for the win. On Saturday, they played a strong Drummond team and lost, 12-63. For Victor, Virginia Brown had 5 points and Taylor McKinley added 4.
Darby
The Darby girls hosted Valley Christian on Thursday and won convincingly, 51-28. Darby outscored Valley Christian 23-4 in the 2nd quarter to propel them to the win. Kylie Schlapman had a big game with 18 points, followed by Sierra Reed with 8 and Georgia Fisher with 6. Then on Friday, they hosted a solid Seeley team and lost, 43-70. Sierra Reed led Darby with 16 points, Kylie Schlapman had 11, and Makena Hawkinson added 8.
The Darby boys played Seeley on Friday and won handily, 68-47. The Tigers are now on a five-game winning streak. The Tigers came out of the game fast, leading 20-5 after the 1st quarter and 35-14 at halftime. Cullen Duggan had a big night with 22 points, followed by Hooper Reed with 13 and Stevan Gabric with 10. The night before on Thursday, the Darby boys also rolled over Valley Christian, 60-35.