Butte Central boys open season tonight – here is their 2024-25 schedule

The Butte Central Maroons will send a young, relatively small team into battle to start this year's boys basketball season.  Such seems to be the case at the start of every season for Coach Brodie Kelly but on the same note the end of every season seems to have the Maroons playing deep into the Class A State Tournament.

This year's Maroons will return three seniors in Justus McGee, Patrick Stimatz and all-state guard Owen McPartland with the latter a starter since their state championship run 2 seasons ago.  Also returning are juniors Ryan Peoples and Xander Strand along with a long list of talented underclassmen.  Leading the way are sophomores G.G. Fantini and Joshua Sutton who were fixtures in every game last season, Sutton a starting guard.  Cade Kelly, Jaxon Hiatt and Noah Sutton will also see time for Butte Central this season.

The Maroons have their hands full to open the season at the Frenchtown Tip Off Tourney where they will meet the Browning Indians tonight at 8pm and the Columbia Falls WildKats tomorrow at 5pm.  Columbia Falls beat Butte Central in the consolation championship game of last year's state tournament.  Next week they will head to Lockwood for a pair of games and will not play their first contest in the Mining City until they meet the Butte High Bulldogs in the Civic Center on January 4th.  Their first home game at the Maroon Activities Center will be the following Friday against Anaconda.

Here is Butte Central's 2024-25 boys basketball schedule.  Home games are in CAPS:

Friday, December 13 - vs. Browning (Frenchtown Tip Off Tournament) - 6pm

Saturday, December 14 - vs. Columbia Falls (Frenchtown Tip Off Tournament) - 5pm

Friday, December 20 - vs. Billings Central (Lockwood Tournament) - 1:30pm

Saturday, December 21 - vs. Havre (Lockwood Tournament) - 4:30pm

Friday, January 3 - at Park - 7:30pm

Saturday, January 4 - vs. Butte High at Butte Civic Center - 7:30pm

Friday, January 10 - VS. ANACONDA - 7:30pm

Saturday, January 18 - VS. STEVENSVILLE - 4pm

Thursday, January 23 - at Frenchtown - 7:15pm

Saturday, January 25 - VS. HAMILTON - 4pm

Thursday, January 30 - VS. DILLON - 7:30pm

Saturday, February 1 - VS. CORVALLIS - 4pm

Tuesday, February 4 - VS. EAST HELENA - 7:30pm

Friday, February 7 - at Stevensville - 7:15pm

Thursday, February 13 - VS. FRENCHTOWN - 7:15pm

Saturday, February 15 -at Hamilton, TBD

Saturday, February 22 - at Corvallis - 4pm

Tuesday, February 25 - at Dillon - 6pm

Saturday, March 1 -Play-in game (if necessary) time, opponent, location TBD

Monday, March 3-Play-in game (if necessary) time, opponent, location TBD

Thursday, March 6 - Saturday, March 8 - Western A Divisional Tournament (Whitefish)

Thursday, March 13 - Saturday, March 15 - State A Tournament (Billings Metra)