It’s no secret that the Lady Pirates of Victor have struggled over the past three years. However, this year is different. With the season at the halfway point, the team is one game shy of .500 and has a lot to look forward to for the rest of the season. They are sitting right smack in the middle of the field for District 13C this year with a record of 4-3 in conference play and 5-6 overall.

“We’re mentally determined this year,” said coach Michele Widder. “Our focus has been on defense and we are playing with more pressure.”

The pressure defense worked on Thursday when Victor took on Philipsburg. The Lady Pirates only allowed the Prospectors two points in the first quarter and eight points in the first half. They went on to win, 40-30.

Widder credits having more shooters this year so the pressure is not as intense on senior guard Liz Taylor. Taylor has been the key to their offense with her long shots and ability to read defenses. But this year there are several younger players who have stepped up and helped to create a more well rounded offense. Freshmen Ryanne Tracy and Haley Tillotston are both quick and can shoot well. Sophomore Shae Scheffer may not be very big but is very fast and can make things happen, especially on a fast break.

Victor 40, Philipsburg 30

Philipsburg - Anna Pence 11, Devyn Poser 7, Jasmine Struna 4, Whitney Comings 3, Shanna Johnson 3, Maddy Dolan 2.

Victor - Shae Scheffer 11, Haley Tillotson 2, Ryan Tracy 8, Kaylene Munson 4, Elizabeth Taylor 13, Desi Charlton 2.

Victor lost to Seeley-Swan on Friday in Seeley, 58-30. Tracy and Taylor each had eight points in the game.

Seeley-Swan 58, Victor 30

Victor – Shai Scheffer 4, Haley Tillotsen 4, Ryanne Tracey 8, Kaylene Munson 6, Liz Taylor 8.

Seeley-Swan – Shelby Holmes 12, Cascade Parcell 13, Katelyn Lewis 2, Hope Crowell 6, Miranda Dupree 8, Tiffany Wendel 2, Chesea Cahoon 5, Summit Parcell 6, Brittany Bridsbill 4.

Hamilton took on Frenchtown in a Southwest A match on Friday. Hamilton’s game plan was to come out and play 32 strong minutes. Although Frenchtown had a one point lead at the half, Hamilton came back to win, 49-44.

Victor’s Shae Scheffer doesn’t flinch as she takes on a couple of Philipsburg players even though she doesn’t match up to them physically. Jean Schurman photo.

Rebecka Hood of Hamilton soars over two Frenchtown players in the ‘Battle of the Broncs’ in Hamilton. Hamilton topped Frenchtown and Hood had six points in spite of battling leg cramps most of the night.Jean Schurman photo.

Hamilton’s pressure defense early created several scoring opportunities and gave them a good lead early in the game. But Frenchtown, behind the shooting of Sarah Lester and Jaylyn Garrison crawled back into the game.

“We made a real conscious effort to know where Lester was at all times,” said Hamilton’s coach Don Faris. Lester averages 15 points a game and Faris said that stopping her was key to their victory.

Faris said he told his team they had worked too hard in the game to let it slip away. The words worked and Hamilton came back in the fourth quarter to take the lead when Casey Shifflett hit a long trey. Mary Conwell followed that and the Lady Broncs took the lead for good.

Hamilton 49, Frenchtown 44

Frenchtown – Vanessa Stavish 9, Sarah Lester 12, Angel Lowery 4, Emma Oostdyk 4, Kayla Blood 2, Jaylyn Garrison 11, Jessica Tucker 2.

Hamilton – Rebecka Hood 6, Presley Chadwick 9, Kaurie Albert 12, Kara Wetzsteon 3, Meghan Kratofil 9, Casey Shifflett 3, Mary Conwell 7.

Hamilton lost to Sentinel on Saturday.

Stevensville split their games this week. The Lady ‘Jackets topped Class AA Big Sky, 44-41. Stevensville came from behind to score 18 points in the fourth quarter and earn the win. Alycia Sims had 24 points for Stevi.

Stevensville 44, Big Sky 41

Stevensville - Baylee Bergman 2, Alycia Sims 24, Blaire Brookshire 5, Kyla Paulsen 2, Britney Chilcott 3, McKenzie Sebastian 8.

Big Sky - Kristen Daugherty 3, Emily Griffith 1, Lauryn Dombrouski 3, Elle Tinkle 13, Dani Sheridan 8, Hannah Moreau 2, Laura Wemple 7, Dani Baker 4.

Stevensville lost to Anaconda, 38-35, in a close game on Saturday. The Lady Yellowjackets got off to a slow beginning but then matched the Copperheads almost point for point. The first quarter proved to be the difference. Sims had 15 points and Blaire Brookshire added 11 points.

Anaconda 38, Stevensville 35

Stevensville - Bailey Vercruyssen 1, Baylee Bergman 2, McKenzie Sebastian 3, Alycia Sims 15, Blaire Brookshire 11, Kyla Paulsen 3.

Anaconda - Abby Stanberry 2, Courtney Moodry 10, Jacqueline Verlanic 6, Vanessa Jense 12, Teryn Green 3, Nicole Schafer 5.

Florence picked up two wins over the weekend. They defeated Corvallis, 45-28, in non-conference action and then topped Deer Lodge in District 7B action.

The Lady Falcons led the entire game against Corvallis. Senior Brittney Heinz led all scorers with12 points. Rosie O’Brien added 10 points in the win. Jen Mosbrucker had eight points for Corvallis.

Florence 45, Corvallis 28

Florence – Brittney Heinz 12, Rosie O’Brien 10, Cassandra Skeers 5, Kayla Johnson 4, Jill Harris 2, Cody Miller 6, Carli O’Brien 4, Kyndall Hoff 2.

Corvallis – Jen Mosbrucker 8, Samantha Stoker 7, Carlie Jessop 2, Korie Conder 11.

Deer Lodge is always a tough game and especially in Deer Lodge. The Lady Falcons had to come from behind but came away with a 40-35 conference win. Florence held Deer Lodge to only three points in the third quarter and then held on for the win. Heinz had 17 points and O’Brien again had 10 points.

Florence 40, Deer Lodge 35

Florence - Brittany Heinz 17, Jill Harris 1, Grace Zeiler 3, Rosie O'Brien10, Cassandra Skeers 4, Kayla Johnson 5.

Deer Lodge - Marisa McKee 7, Shelby Applegate 9, ShyAnne Anderson 2, Bailee Senecal 10, Michelle Christnacht 6, Danni Walker 1.

Corvallis fell to Butte Central, 57-24. Mosbrucker had 12 points to lead the Blue Devils.

Darby lost to Superior, 56-43. Sarah Jakober had 19 points to lead the Lady Tigers and Julie Abrahamsen added 13. Plains topped Darby, 53-32, on Saturday. Abrahamsen and Haley Rennaker each had 10 points.

Florence tops Deer Lodge

Quinn Smith made the opening statement for Florence against Deer Lodge when he took the ball up the court and slammed it in a two-handed dunk for the Falcons’ opening basket. Although the Wardens gave Florence a game, the Falcons prevailed with an 80-72 victory and remain undefeated in conference play.

The Wardens and the Falcons matched up very well against each other with several players well over six feet tall. Smith, at 6’11”, still dominated the rebounding but was tested by Brandon Forson several times.

“Deer Lodge is much improved,” said Florence coach Sam Baerlocher. “They’re a very physical team. I think they are going to be reckoned with (at tournament).”

Florence led by only two points at the end of the first eight minutes and then went on a run fueled by an inside shot by Smith followed by a free throw. The Falcons did struggle at the line, making only four shots on the night. Just as Smith made the opening statement, Adam Greger made the final statement of the first half when he nailed a shot from almost the half court line at the buzzer. He finished with 26 points and Smith had 20.

Florence’s Quinn Smith had at least six blocks, including this one, in the game against Deer Lodge. Jean Schurman photo.

“I don’t think we shot very well,” noted Baerlocher. “That’s a coach’s nightmare.”

But while they struggled at the charity line, all of the players stepped up. Aaron Ward had a couple of key baskets underneath and Mike Finlay played well in the paint. Ryne Baerlocher, another sophomore, runs the offense and is also playing well.

Florence 80, Deer Lodge 72

Deer Lodge - Connor Meagher 6, Jesse Vasquez 2, Bo Antila 24, Rob Stone 18, T.J. Thomas 9, Jake Davenport 10, Duncan Quigley 3.

Florence - Ross Mangun 9, Ryne Baerlocher 9, Chantz Hotsinpiller 4, Adam Greger 26, Quinn Smith 20, Mike Finlay 6, Aaron Ward 6.

Thursday night, the Falcons took on the hot Corvallis Blue Devils. Earlier in the season, the Falcons lost to Corvallis and they were hoping to change that. They took a lead into the half but couldn’t hold on as the Blue Devils went on to win, 76-70, taking the lead late in the fourth quarter.

“It was a great game until about the last minute,” said Baerlocher. “It just slipped away.”

Corvallis’ Rodee Anderson dropped in eight treys in the contest to lead all scorers with 35 points. Riley Bradshaw had 24. Greger finished with 26 points and Smith had 19 in the loss.

Corvallis 76, Florence 70

Florence - Ross Mangun 7, Ryne Baerlocher 5, Adam Huot 6, Adam, Greger 26, Quinn Smith 19, Mike Finley 7.

Corvallis - Logan Connors 1, Colby Henderson 7, Rodee Anderson 35, Riley Bradshaw 24, Joel Connolly 6, Trevor Brown 3.

Corvallis lost to Butte Central in another non-conference game, 65-44.

Butte Central 65, Corvallis 44

Corvallis - Logan Connors 5, Colby Henderson 4, Rodee Anderson 14, Riley Bradshaw 19, Joel Connolly 2.

Butte Central - Andy Ritter 13, Colin Hollow 4, Phil Antonioli 9, Aschan Richards 18, Jonathan Richards 17, Zach Kasperick 2, Jake Simkins 2.

Victor ran over Philipsburg, 68-39. The Prospectors were held to only two baskets in the first quarter. Victor coach Jay Jagelski said his team was really focusing on defense and keeping their man in front of them.

“But PBurg played with a lot of heart,” he said. “After their first quarter, that’s a tough thing to swallow but they came at us.”

Victor’s top scorer, Dalton Buker, went out early with an injury but that didn’t faze the rest of the team. Kyle Ball finished with 18 points, Kurt Manely had 15 points and Dennis Mitcham finished with 11 points.

Victor 68, Philipsburg 39

Philipsburg - Jerry Metesh 1, Ladd Hogue 12, Justin Pergande 14, Nick Vose 4, Tayber Goff 8.

Victor - Dennis Mitcham 11, Tyler Coorough 1, Randy Lewis 13, Corey Deering 3, Kyle Ball 18, Dalton Buker 4, Kurt Manely 15, Tanner Sacks 1, Nate Bishop 2.

Victor lost to Seeley-Swan, 50-44, on Friday. The Pirates couldn’t overcome a 22 point fourth quarter by the Blackhawks. Ball finished with 18 points again. Randy Lewis had 11 points and Mitcham had 10 points.

Seeley-Swan 50, Victor 44

Victor - Dennis Mitcham 10, Randy Lewis 11, Corey Deering 1, Kyle Ball 18, Kurt Manely 4.

Seeley-Swan - Bobby Russell 30, Tucker Clark 5, Jacob Smith 4, Leland Hatten 2, Tanner Stevenson 3, Chase Hulett 1, Christian Cahoon 5.

Stevensville picked up two more wins over the weekend. They topped Class AA Big Sky, 46-39. Big Sky made a charge late in the game but the ‘Jackets held them off for the non-conference win. Freshman Zack Gavlak had 20 points to lead Stevi.

Stevensville 46, Big Sky 39

Big Sky - Cole Baker 13, Jason Neibergs 6, Jay Owens 6, Aaron Koster 4, Matt Ethridge 3, Jake Sandau 2, Tyler Thronock 5.

Stevensville - Austin Kelling 7, Austin Lords 4, Josh Schultz 8, Tyler Gavlak 3, Zack Gavlak 20, Caleb Vance 2, Jared Schultz 2. Totals: 15 16-26 46.

The Yellowjackets rolled over the Anaconda Copperheads, 61-49, in Southwest A action on Saturday. Brendan Jones had 10 points, Josh Schultz dropped in 13 points and Gavlak added 12 in the win.

Stevensville 61, Anaconda 49

Anaconda - Kyle Moore 21, John Stoppler 5, Jayde Thompson 2, Jayce Barclay 5, Nate Staedler 5, Dallas Cook 4, Jackson Wagner 7.

Stevensville - Austin Kelling 3, Brendan Jones 10, Austin Lords 3, Josh Schultz 13, Zack Gavlak 12, Tyler Gavlak 5, Kadin Beller 2, Josh Haynes 2, Caleb Vance 9, Josh Lords 2.

Hamilton split their games over the weekend. They defeated Frenchtown in conference action on Friday night. The Broncs had three players scoring in double figures in the 67-39 win. Beau Maus had 16 points, Brad Palin had 14 and Tyler Pigman finished with 11 points.

Hamilton 67, Frenchtown 39

Hamilton - Brad Palin 14, Eli Rogers 1, Cody Lewis 10, Beau Maus 16, Seth Mason 6, Tyler Pigman 11, Graham Silcher 9.

Frenchtown - Daniel Lebsock 1, Austin Blank 14, Ryan Anderson 9, Dustin Tucker 1, Matt Price 4, Brydon Peacock 8, David Diehl 2.

Hamilton fell to Missoula Sentinel, 48-37, on Saturday. Graham Silcher led the Broncs with 13 points.

Sentinel 48, Hamilton 37

Sentinel - Zack Murphy 1 0-1 2, Alec Bray 1 0-0 2, Brad Corntassel 4 0-1 10, Riley King 9 3-6 23, Fischer Worden 1 0-0 2, Nate Jewett 2 0-0 4, Derek Colberg 2 0-0 5. Totals: 20 3-8 48.

Hamilton - Brad Palin 3 0-0 7, Cody Lewis 1 0-0 3, Beau Maus 2 2-2 7, Graham Silcher 6 1-1 13, Tyler Pigman 3 1-2 7. Totals: 15 4-5 37.

Darby fell to Superior, 41-29, in 7B action. Sherman Smith had nine points to lead the Tigers who got off to a slow start.

Superior 41, Darby 29

Darby - Sterling Kim 2, Dylan Leidner 2, Luke Meuchel 6, Devin Thomas 4, Sherman Smith 9, Jeremy Campbell 2, Dante Fernandez 6.

Superior - R.J. Frederick 2, Tanner Coon 8, Aaron Lowman 12, Adam Kay 12, Roman Zylawy 3.

Plains defeated Darby, 67-51, in non-conference action. Although Darby came back to score 23 points in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t overcome a slow second quarter. Although only four players scored for Darby, they were all in double figures.

Plains 67, Darby 51

Plains - Brandyn Smith 13, Taylor Firestone 16, Wade Bache 10, Tanner Ostrom 11, Andrew Baker 8, Jeff Revier 8, Travis Lilja 1.

Darby - Dante Fernandez 15, Sherman Smith 16, Devin Thomas 10, Jeremy Campbell 10.

Cross country ski report

The Bitterroot Cross-country Ski Club has groomed and set tracks on the trails at Chief Joseph Ski Area. There is a total of about 66 inches of snow. Skiing conditions have remained very good for an extended period and are expected to continue. For more information visit www.bitterrootxcskiclub.net.

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