Bulldogs prepare to ground the Eagles

Butte High basketball will have a quick turnaround after a very busy weekend. The Dogs will be in action Tuesday against Missoula Big Sky, the boys will be at hosting the Eagles at 7 pm @ Ross Richardson gymnasium, and the girls will be on the road to battle the Eagles in Missoula, scheduled for a 7 pm start.

The first meeting on the boy’s side was a battle that went to Overtime in Missoula, with the Eagles holding on for a 1-point win over the Dogs. Hudson Luedtke led Butte with 24 points in that game. Jace Stenson and Cameron Gurnsey each knocked down 17, Casey Merrifield netted 15, and Tocher Lee got into double figures will 11.

As mentioned, the Dogs are coming off a busy weekend, going 1-1 on their overnight trip to Kalispell. Falling to the Wolfpack of Glacier 70-52 on Friday, and then rolling to a 67-58 win over Flathead on Saturday afternoon. Stenson had a monster against Flathead, knocking down 23 points, Tocher Lee had 16 and Gurnsey finished with 14. The Butte High boys enter the matchup 5-4 in Western AA conference play, and 6-7 overall.

The Big Sky Eagles have won 4 straight, with wins over Glacier, Flathead, Helena High, and Helena Capital. After starting Western AA play with a 0-2 record, they have quickly turned that around to 6-3 in conference play. The Eagles have 3 guys averaging double figures, Josiah Cuaresma is their leading scorer at 14 points a game, and Isaiah Reed and Aidan Beard both come in at 10 points a contest. This should be a great rematch and an important game for the Dogs with only one more home game this season.

The Butte High girls started conference play 0-7, and 5 of those 7 games were on the road. No easy task. The Bulldogs have really found some footing as we turn the corner into the second half of the season. With back-to-back wins over Butte Central, and Glacier (and a great game against Flathead) the Dogs are getting better when it matters. Like the boys, the first game between the Eagles and the Bulldogs went to overtime, and again like the boys is ended in a loss for Butte, 50-48.

Over the last several games the Bulldog offense is really starting to come alive, 62 points in a win over Central, 49 points in a win over Glacier, and 52 points in a loss to Flathead. The Bulldogs averaged 36 points a game in the first half of the season, these last several games have been a huge improvement and will be a big factor moving forward. Laura Rosenleaf put 11 points up against Glacier, and 12 against Flathead. Emmarie Richards finished with 10 and 7 respectively. Sophomore Brytn Stewart continues to impress with 9 against Glacier, and a team-leading 16 versus Flathead. Then you mix in 8th grader Cadence Graham. Cadence has been splitting time between JV and Varsity for the bulk of the season, and her Varsity minutes have been stacking up because of her play. She led the Dogs in scoring against Helena High (7), Butte Central (18) and Glacier (tied with Rosenleaf, 11), and to round out the current run she put up 13 against Flathead. Having her on the perimeter takes a ton of pressure off Rosenleaf and Richards, allowing Butte High to put the pressure on the other team’s defense instead.

The Big Sky Girls enter the game 3-6 in Western AA play, and 5-7 overall, most recently splitting with the Helena schools. Falling 46-43 to Capital on Saturday and getting a 56-48 win over Helena High last Thursday. The Eagles are led by Kadynce Couture with 13 points a game, Avory DeCoite with 9, and Audrey Hale at 8 points a game.

The Girl’s game is scheduled for a 7 pm start in Missoula.

Get our free mobile app