One thing is for certain, when the Corvallis Blue Devils and the Lady Yellowjackets meet on the basketball court, there are going to be a lot of free throw shots. These two valley teams play tough and every point is contested and earned. The game Thursday night was no different. Corvallis claimed their first victory of the season with a 53-38 win over Stevensville.

"We finally got the monkey off our back," said Corvallis coach Scott Marsh. He went on to say this was the first time since opening weekend at the Tip Off Tournament that his team had scored more than 50 points.

The two teams were tied at the end of the first quarter but steady play and some big three point shots gave the Blue Devils the edge at the half. Marsh went on to say his team lost some focus in the second half and forced their shots, which allowed Stevensville back into the game for a short time.

"We've got to have more patience," he said. "We talked about how late in the game we need it but really haven't had the opportunity until tonight to exercise it. We haven't had the lead."

Point guard Ashlee DellaSilva scored nine points for the Devils, breaking a scoring drought. "I don't think she wants to be a scorer as much," said Marsh. "She's looking to help lead the offense and get the offense cycling underneath. She got to the foul line a few times tonight which is real good for her."

Stevensville coach Cody Omlid said turnovers was the name of the game for the Lady 'Jackets. "Scott (Marsh) did a good job getting them prepared in the second half."

Omlid went on to say his team lacked intensity in the second half but overall played hard.

Corvallis was led by Kristin Bull's 18 points. Sunni Bleibtrey added 11. Allison Jones had eight points for Stevensville.

Corvallis lost to the undefeated Anaconda Lady Copperheads on Saturday night and Stevensville lost to Frenchtown.

Corvallis 53, Stevensville 38

Corvallis - Sunni Bliebtrey 11, Kristin Bull 18, Kayla Gingerich 3, Kayla Eschenbacher 5, Ashlee Della Silva 9, Casey Burnette 1, Kim Gilder 6.
Stevensville - Sherry Walters 2, Heather Garnett 5, Lila Severson 2, Allison Jones 8, Izzy Miller 4, Brekka Johnson 5, Brianna Beller 4, Amy Fey 5, Colleen Buck 3.

The Victor Lady Pirates had one conference and one non-conference game over the weekend. They traveled to St. Regis on Friday where they battled the Lady Tigers. Balanced scoring by Victor propelled them to a 38-25 victory. Led by Katie Jolley's nine points, the Lady Pirates dropped in 26 points in the middle two periods to close with a victory.

Victor 38, St. Regis 25

Victor - Angel Deering 4, Kat Coorough 2, Kristen Burrington 2, Katie McCormick 4, Shannon Reinhardt 8, Brittany Mitcham 2, Katie Jolley 9, Shandel Weeks 7
St. Regis - Burklund 6, M. Pruitt 1, Managhan 1, H. Pruitt 9, Cielke 8.

Saturday, the Seeley-Swan Blackhawks came to Victor for a B/C match. The girls in blue jumped out to an eight-point lead before Seeley scored a point. With Jolley sitting the bench most of the night due to foul trouble, fellow senior Shandel Weeks stepped up to lead the Lady Pirates.

"They weren't as prepared as they have been in the last couple of weeks," said coach Brett Morehouse of Victor. "They are learning a lot of lessons but when you're not focused, it's hard to get focused in 30 seconds or a minute during the timeouts."

Seeley came out strong in the second half and turned the game around, leading by six points at the end of the third quarter. Victor made a run and pulled within two when Brittany Mitcham hit both of her foul shots. However, Kiani Murphy of Seeley hit a jumper at the other end of the gym. Victor had one more chance but a travel call stopped the play.

Seeley-Swan 33, Victor 28

Seeley-Swan - Baier 9, Meyer 2, Anderson 2, Miller 2, Murphy 6, Stone 8, Parcell 2, Mulcare 2.
Victor - Angel Deering 2, Cat Coorough 4, Katie Jolley 7, Shandel Weeks 10, Brittany Mitcham 2, Shannon Reinhardt 2, Katie McCormick 1.

Young 'Jacket team tops Corvallis

Boone Chambers set the tone of the night for the Yellowjackets in the first quarter of the Stevensville/Corvallis game. The sophomore shot 5-for-5 from three-point land to power the 'Jackets to a 13-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The defense held together and the offense kicked in for a 54-27 win over the Blue Devils.

"I didn't know what to expect," said coach Keith Chambers of his Stevi team. "Am I happy with the result, yes. I thought that defensively we played a lot better than we've been playing."

Defense was the key for the Yellowjackets, especially when only scoring 54 points, according to Chambers. With the Blue Devils keying in and doubling up on senior Bridger Chambers, it was up to the younger perimeter players to step up and hit their shots. Boone Chambers finished with 19 points, Nick Dahlquist had 12 and Logan Creech finished with 10 points.

Post Dalton Sybrant finished with 12 points to lead the Blue Devils.

Stevensville 54, Corvallis 27

Corvallis - (27) Shea Gingerich 2, Levi Clarke 1, Garrett Morris 4, Nick Stoker 6, Dalton Sybrant 12, Will Stoker 2.
Stevensville (54) - Boone Chambers 19, Nick Dahlquist 12, Ethan Pateman 2, Ryan Grove 5, Bridger Chambers 6, Logan Creech 10.

The Yellowjackets were unable to contain Frenchtown's Nathan Lebsock in the fourth quarter and fell to the Broncs from the north, 60-54. Bridger Chambers hit four three pointers and finished with 24 points. Ryan Grove added 12 points.

Frenchtown 60, Stevensville 54

Frenchtown - Nathan Lebsock 28, Matt Lock 2, Nate Davis 6, Kyle Larson 8, Cody Kick 8, Caleb DeGroot 8.
Stevensville - Drew Zeiler 4, Boone Chambers 3, Nick Dahlquist 7, Ethan Pateman 2, Ryan Grove 12, Bridger Chambers 24, Logan Creech 2.

The Victor Pirates split their games this weekend, defeating St. Regis, 73-36, and then falling to non-conference foe Seeley-Swan, 57-42. The Pirates had four players in double figures. Drew Lewis, Chris Mai and Mark Frye all finished with 10 points and Eric Taylor added 11.

Saturday saw Seeley-Swan in town. The Blackhawks soundly defeated Loyola on Friday and were looking to do the same to Victor. Victor played strong in the first half, battling for every basket against a much taller Seeley team. The two were tied at the end of the half but Seeley came out strong in the third quarter.

"Our fundamentals are breaking down in our 'man' defense," said coach Brett Morehouse. "We like to play full-court man-to-man pressure defense but we're getting caught looking at the ball too much."

Morehouse said his team needs to work on being more patient on offense because when they get a good look at the basket, they generally are able to score whether from three point land or inside the arc.

"It's tough, getting all the kids in on their rotation, and letting them know you have confidence in them," said Morehouse. "I feel we are learning one important lesson every week."

Victor was paced by Lewis' 10 points.

Victor 73, St. Regis 36

Victor - Josh Maydole 2, Gatlin Lamb 6, Eric Bissett 4, Michael Wemple 8, Drew Lewis 10, Chris Mai 10, Tyler Swanson 3, Eric Taylor 11, Mark Frye 10, Kody Martin 5, Josh Hixon 6.
St. Regis - Cantrel-Field 14, Kelley 2, Hamann 3, Allestad 4, Quinlivan 3, Roper 6, Covey 4.

Seeley-Swan 57, Victor 42

Seeley-Swan - Stone 18, Nelson 8, Hard 10, Mudrow 21.
Victor - Josh Maydole 9, Michael Wemple 4, Drew Lewis 10, Mark Frye 8, Eric Taylor 7, Tyler Swanson 4.

Girls basketball roundup

Hamilton squeaked by Darby, 34-32, in non-conference action. The Lady Broncs were led by Jessica Huseby's nine points. Darby was led by Missy DeWalt and her nine points as well. Hamilton lost to Dillon, 39-30, in another close game. The No. 4 ranked Beavers led by nine at the half but Hamilton pulled to within two points by the end of three. Huseby led all scorers with 16 points.

Florence topped Darby in overtime in a 7B match. Led by juniors Cortney Reynolds and Brooke Zeiler, the Lady Falcons came on strong in overtime for a 42-37 victory. The two combined for 24 points. DeWalt had 15 points for Darby.

Saturday night, the Lady Falcons topped Valley Christian, 58-53. Another junior, Rae Baerlocher, had 17 points while Zeiler cruised to 19 points.

Boys basketball roundup

The Florence Falcons defeated Darby and fell to Valley Christian in two conference games. Kris Person led the scoring against Darby with 15 points. Dillon Oliver led the Tigers' scoring with 18 points.

Florence fell to Valley Christian, 67-64, in a close game on Saturday. The Falcons nearly caught the Eagles, pouring in 30 points in the fourth quarter but it was not enough. Jordan Dean kicked in 16 points and Person had 14.

Hamilton defeated Darby, 80-34. Jason Schallenberger had 19 points while Britt Farley and Ben Jessop dropped in 13 and 12 points respectively. Darby was led by Oliver's 11 points.

Saturday night, the No. 1 ranked Dillon Beavers topped Hamilton, 64-44. Ryan Turley and Adam Moyer each had 10 points in the Bronc loss.

Corvallis fell to Anaconda, 91-51. Shea Gingerich had 11 points for the Blue Devils.

Wrestling wrap up

Choteau was the place to be for Class B/C wrestlers from across the state for the annual Choteau Classic. Florence finished 15th out of 26 teams with 61-1/2 points. Darby was 18th with 30 points. Conrad won the tournament with 211 points followed by Cascade/Simms with 144 and Arlee with 123 points.

Florence's Logan Person finished in third place at 189 pounds with a technical fall over Thomas Harding of Huntley Project. Person lost to Ben Ashcraft of Whitehall in the semifinals. Other Falcons placing were Corbin Newbary who finished fifth at 98 pounds and Sam Fernandez who finished fifth at 160 pounds,

Teams from across Western Montana, Idaho and Washington competed at the annual Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic in Missoula. Kalispell won the event with 268 points, Havre finished second and CMR of Great Falls was third. Corvallis finished in the middle of the pack with 98-1/2 points with Hamilton following right behind with 81 points.

Havre's Beau LaSalle defeated Corvallis' Landon DellaSilva, 9-5, in the 130 finals. DellaSilva pinned Trenton Starkey of CMR in semifinal action. Taylor Nagel took third with a 1-0 decision over Bailey of CMR.

David Love of Hamilton finished fifth in the 135 division. Brock Anderson took third at 160 with a pin over Jordan of University High School of Spokane. Brady Anderson took fifth at 189 with a 6-2 decision over Hystad of Great Falls High.

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