'Kats koast to Western A title
HAMILTON — The Columbia Falls girls made quick work of Corvallis in the championship game at the Western A divisional basketball tournament on Saturday at Hamilton High School, winning 71-40 to enter the Class A state tournament with the West’s top seed.
The Wildkats allowed Corvallis to score 20 points in the first quarter, but locked down for the rest of the game, holding the Blue Devils to 20 points in the final 24 minutes.
Columbia Falls pulled away in the second quarter, taking a 37-27 halftime lead, and turned the game into a rout in the third quarter, leaving the break on a 23-7 run.
Peyton Kehr led five Wildkats in double figures, scoring 15 points.
The Wildkats will open next week’s Class A state tournament at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday against Laurel, the fourth seed from the Eastern division.
Corvallis will open against Belgrade in the first round.
Columbia Falls 20 17 23 11 — 71
Corvallis 20 7 7 6 — 40
Columbia Falls — Dani Douglas 11, Cydney Finberg 10, Tallia Sova 2, Peyton Kehr 15, Ryley Kehr 5, Kiara Burlage 14, Trista Cowan 14.
Corvallis — Penny Jessop 6, Calla Haldorson 5, Sydney Powell 2, Emma Warnken 17, Corinne Sanderson 5, Hannah Hutchison 2, Lainie Albright 2, Molliegh Siebenaler 1.
Consolation Final
Butte Central 44,
Hamilton 42
HAMILTON — Butte Central went on a 13-4 run in the second quarter to take control of the consolation final, holding off host school Hamilton down the stretch.
The defending state champion Maroons will open the state tournament on Thursday against Havre. Hamilton will play Eastern divisional champion Hardin.
Butte Central 8 13 10 13 — 44
Hamilton 6 4 14 18 — 42
Butte Central — Kloie Thatcher 10, Olivia Bolton 2, Mollie Peoples 10, Bella Sorini 2, Emily St. John 10, Tricia Joyce 5, Cassidy Strizic 2, Corbyn Holm 3.
Hamilton — Tessa Della Silva 6, Tristy Searle 11, Kloie Nye 3, Mallory McGill 3, Reilly Rostad 11, Sophia Doyle 2, Rachael Ringer 4, Lauren Ryter 2.
Consolation Semifinals
Butte Central 47, Frenchtown 32
HAMILTON — Butte Central secured a chance to defend its state title with a big second half
The Maroons outscored Frenchtown 15-5 in the third quarter and 19-15 in the fourth to secure the victory.
Frenchtown 8 4 5 15 — 32
Butte Central 6 7 15 19 — 47
Frenchtown — Liv Williams 7, Shannon Worster 7, Kylee Willett 6, Alli Hochhalter 5, Emilie Hinrichs 4, Sydney Channer 2, Lexi Statelen 1.
Butte Central — Emily St. John 15, Kloie Thatcher 13, Mollie Peoples 8, Olivia Bolton 6, Corby Holm 5.
Hamilton 46, Dillon 37
HAMILTON — Hamilton went on a 17-10 run in the second quarter to beat top-seeded Dillon and clinch a spot in the state tournament.
Mallory McGill had 17 points for Hamilton.
Dillon 4 10 7 16 — 37
Hamilton 4 17 8 17 — 46
Dillon — Kelsey Truman 19, Paige Rolese 6, Kyndall Peterson 4, Bailey Berriochoa 4, Brynley Fitzgerald 4.
Hamilton — Mallory McGill 17, Reilly Rostad 13, Kara Nye 5, Rachel Ringer 4, Tessa Della Silva 3, Tristy Searle 2, Lauren Ryter 2.
BOYS
Championship
Dillon 50, Polson 34
HAMILTON — Dillon took control early and never let Polson into shooting distance of the lead, remaining undefeated to win the Western A championship.
Dillon led 13-5 after the first quarter and maintained that lead throughout, slowly building to a 16-point win.
Matthew Rensvold led Polson with 17 points in the loss.
The Pirates will open the Class A state tournament against Billings Central, the third seed from the East, on March 9.
Dillon will play Hardin.
Polson 5 10 12 7 — 34
Dillon 13 13 15 9 — 50
Polson — Jaydon Bautista 4, Tanner Wilson 4, Jeremiah North Pigeon 5, Shade Main 4, Matthew Rensvold 17.
Dillon — Michael Haverfield 14, Jamey Richardson 2, Kyson Wilson 2, Troy Andersen 21, Tanner Haverfield 10, Clay Allison 1.
Consolation Final
Butte Central 53,
Hamilton 47
HAMILTON — The Maroons dominated the third quarter to claim the third seed from the West at the state tournament.
Butte Central will play Belgrade in the first round at the state tournament. Hamilton will open with Eastern champ Laurel.
Hamilton 10 14 3 20 — 47
Butte Central 9 16 10 18 — 53
Hamilton — Cam Rothie 1, Carson Rostad 1, Ky Burch 7, Hunter Omlid 6, Jaylen Taggart 2, Tanner Goligoski 18, Carter Kearns 12.
Butte Central — Sam Johnson 6, Matt Simkins 5, Tanner Kump 19, Nate McGree 12, Dan McCloskey 3, Cade Holter 2, Jake Simkins 6.
Consolation Semifinals
Butte Central 52, Frenchtown 36
HAMILTON — Butte Central dominated the second half to pull away from Frenchtown and into the state tournament.
The Maroons outscored Frenchtown 34-20 in the second half, running away from what was a close game in the first two quarters.
Frenchtown 7 9 6 14 — 36
Butte Central 8 10 15 19 — 52
Frenchtown — Austin Means 8, Adam Botkin 6, Jacob Price 6, Cade Baker 5, Hank Rugg 4, Ethan Pyron 3, Brock Rugg 2, Ty Hoppie 2.
Butte Central — Sam Johnston 16, Nate McGree 10, Tanner Kump 8, Matt Simkins 7, Jared Simkins 7, Cade Holter 4.
Hamilton 51,
Stevensville 41
HAMILTON — Hamilton took control early, outscoring Stevi 20-10 in the first quarter to secure a spot at state.
Hamilton 20 9 7 15 — 51
Stevensville 10 9 6 16 — 41
Hamilton — Hunter Omlid 16, Carter Kearns 15, Jaylen Taggart 6, Ty Chouinard 5, Cam Rothie 3, Ky Burch 3, Tanner Goligoski 3.
Stevensville — James Fry 18, Dalton Bragg 11, Jared Kingsbury 9, Louis Estrada 3.
Western B Divisional
GIRLS
Championship
Ronan 64, Florence 55
RONAN — The Ronan girls pulled away from Florence in the second quarter and held on to stay undefeated.
The Maidens closed the first half on a 16-6 run to take a 33-22 lead at halftime, holding on for a solid victory.
Micalann McCrea and Alicia Camel each had 19 points to lead Ronan.
Florence 16 6 19 14 — 55
Ronan 17 16 16 15 — 64
FLORENCE — Autumn Round 8, Sarah Hopcroft 2, Emma Stenrud 3, Shaela Mamuzich 1, Riley Mangun 10, McKenna Liles 7, Danielle Zahn 22, Chloe Arthur 2.
RONAN — Micalann McCrea 19, Jaelynn Askan 8, Louetta Conko-Camel 12, Alicia Camel 19, Hannah Moss 2, Kiana Finley 4.
Consolation Final
Bigfork 47, Deer Lodge 40
RONAN — Bigfork got off to a fast start, outscoring Deer Lodge 27-17 in the first half.
The Valkyries maintained that big lead in the second half to set up a chance at a challenge game.
Bigfork will play Florence for a spot at the Class B state tournament at 5:30 p.m. on Monday at the Ronan Events Center.
Bigfork 13 14 8 12 — 47
Deer Lodge 7 10 9 14 — 40
BIGFORK — Haile Norred 3, Shae Anderson 2, Ellie Berreth 17, Abby Ellison 14, Reese Nissen 1, Jamie Berg 5, Emilee Park 1, Abby Lembke 4.
DEER LODGE — Rachel Nicholson 12, Josee Applegate 6, Mya Worth 7, Jordan Senecal 3, Jerstin Cooper 4, Alyssa Lamb 6, Ariel Clark 2.
Consolation Semifinals
Bigfork 61, Eureka 37
RONAN — Bigfork started fast, outscoring Eureka 19-4 in the first quarter, and outworked the Lions down the stretch to earn a place in the consolation final.
Bigfork 19 14 18 10 — 61
Eureka 4 13 6 14 — 37
BIGFORK — Haile Norred 15, Ellie Berreth 10, Abby Ellison 6, Reese Nissen 8, Jamie Berg 13, Emilee Park 2, Angleigh Edgerton 2, Abby Lembke 5.
EUREKA — Megan Hanson 3, Sienna Utter 4, Cassie Hammack 5, Maggie Graves 8, Ashlyn Waldo 2, Stacy Cooper 2, Erynn Thier 13.
Deer Lodge 42, Troy 27
RONAN — Deer Lodge finished Troy’s remarkable season with suffocating defense in the second half.
The Wardens outscored Troy 27-15 in the third and fourth quarters to pull away and earn the win.
Deer Lodge 9 6 15 12 — 42
Troy 6 6 7 8 — 27
DEER LODGE — Rachel Nicholson 4, Josee Applegate 11, Riley Gray 10, Kerstin Cooper 4, Kamryn Scully 9, Alyssa Lamb 4.
TROY — Aurora Becquart 9, Allie Coldwell 11, Alyssa Lewis 4, Kylie Carr 3.
BOYS
Championship
Anaconda 61,
Missoula Loyola 60
RONAN — Anaconda’s Braxton Hill hit a pair of free throws with two seconds to play to lift Anaconda over Loyola.
Hill scored a game-high 28 points to will the Copperheads to the victory.
Another classic, the two teams had split overtime wins in the regular season.
Anaconda 21 13 15 12 — 61
Loyola 14 12 14 20 — 60
Anaconda — Bobby Swainston 16, Trent Mikalatos 4, Gabe Byrne 1, Kadin Stetzner 5, Braxton Hill 28, Kayne Cobban 7.
Loyola Sacred Heart — Jack Lincoln 12, Kellen Round 9, Ryan McHugh 12, Parker Davis 13, Fisher Richardson 10, Joey McElroy 4.
Consolation Final
Bigfork 54, Florence 41
RONAN — Bigfork closed out Florence in the fourth quarter, making 13 of 20 free throws in the final quarter to seal the victory.
Anders Epperly scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, making 6 of 9 free throws to lead the Vikings to the victory.
Bigfork will play Missoula Loyola in a challenge game at 7 p.m. on Monday at the Ronan Events Center.
Bigfork 10 15 10 19 — 54
Florence 12 11 6 12 — 41
BIGFORK — Anders Epperly 17, Clayton Reichenbach 5, Colton Reichenbach 3, Chase Chappius 3, Logan Gilliard 10, Beau Santistevan 14, Logan Taylor 2.
FLORENCE — Tyce Pederson 6, Branden Bailey 2, Ethan Stensrud 4, Brent Stroppel 10, Cody Liles 17, Largon Katen 2.
Consolation Semifinals
Bigfork 46, Deer Lodge 43
RONAN — Bigfork held off a rally from Deer Lodge to earn a spot in the consolation final.
The Vikings pulled away in the third quarter, buliding a five-point lead while holding on late in the fourth quarter.
Beau Santistevan had 13 points to lead Bigfork.
Bigfork 10 16 9 11 — 46
Deer Lodge 12 12 6 13 — 43
BIGFORK — Anders Epperly 6, Colton Reichenbach 2, Clayton Reichenbach 9, Randy Stultz 3, Logan Taylor 5, Logan Gilliard 8, Beau santistevan 13.
DEER LODGE — Colter Sully 11, Brock Dorron 1, Cade Benjamin 5, Dyllon McDermid 6, Koby Owens 4, Brandon Porter 16.
Florence 69,
Thompson Falls 49
RONAN — Florence dominated Thompson Falls early, rolling into the consolation final.
Florence 23 14 18 14 — 69
Thompson Falls 14 9 10 16 — 49
FLORENCE — Tyce Pederson 5, Branden Bailey 8, Hunter Harrington 1, Ethan Stensrud 4, Brent Stroppel 20, Cody Liles 29, Largon Katen 2.
THOMPSON FALLS — McKenzie Holt 7, Dylan Beckman 2, Danny Hoisington 11, Payton Frields 14, John Skerl 8, Nathan Thibeault 7.