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Bulldogs bash Bengals: Butte High defeats Helena High, 58-37(Montana Standard, The (Butte) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Mar. 13--Butte High didn't mess around Thursday, powering to a 21-point win over Helena High in the nightcap game of the girls' Class AA State basketball tourney at the Butte Civic Center. The Bulldogs will face off against Great Falls Russell Friday at 8 p.m. for a spot in the state title game, while the other semifinal pits Bozeman against Missoula Big Sky at 6:30 p.m. Butte High 58, Helena 37 Neither good defense by Helena High nor foul trouble for a couple of Butte High leaders could dissuade the Bulldogs -- not even early. Point guard Kalli McCloskey played only three minutes in the first half due to picking up three fouls, and Gwenn Abbott yanked down eight rebounds in the half despite having to sit down some, too, with fouls. But school scoring leader Lexie Nelson tallied 16 of her game-high 25 points before halftime and a strong supporting Bulldogs cast became deeper as reserves took up any slack that may have been left by the absence of some regulars. Abbott went on to grab 18 rebounds, one off the school single-game record, head coach Jeff Arntson said, and McCloskey stayed out of further trouble after halftime and wound up with seven assists. "We played pretty well and played good defense, again," Arntson said. "We got into some foul trouble early, but Lexie had another good game for us, and we had kids step up and play well." Starters Brianne Holland-Stergar and Hannah Dysinger performed in their roles well, and then more lift was provided by reserves such as Alex Thatcher, Micaul McClafferty, Tatum Holland, Calley Bosch and Kabri Emerson. Arntson went to the bench even earlier than has been his norm in a season that saw the Bulldogs capture their second straight Eastern AA Conference title and build a 17-3 overall record prior to the state tournament. "We had kids step up and play well tonight off our bench," Arntson said. "A lot of kids got playing time. We wanted to get them in the first game of the tournament." Butte High led wire to wire. Nelson made the last two of a three-free throw opportunity and then knocked down a shot off a McCloskey steal for a 4-0 Bulldogs start. The difference was 17-4 after the first quarter and 29-14 at halftime. The team had just four steals and three assists in the first half with McCloskey sitting because of fouls. But, the Bulldogs' defense held Helena High to 17-percent shooting from the field, 4-for-24, before intermission. Butte High's biggest lead was 22 points, 47-25, when a McClafferty free throw at the 1-minute, 18-second mark of the third quarter capped a 6-0 run. Bulldog reserves Keli Dennehy and Jaimee Paffhausen entered late in the game, and they, too, played well. Kelsey Williams and Monica Grimsrud scored 11 points each for Helena High and most came from the inside. The Bengals wound up shooting 25 percent from the field for the game. Williams had a team-high eight rebounds. The Bulldogs dealt Helena a 47-31 beating on the boards. "Helena is a good team and so I'm very happy with our effort," Arntson said. "It was a good team win. Now it's time to move on and play better against CMR (C.M. Russell of Great Falls). " -- By Bruce Sayler of The Montana Standard BUTTE HIGH (18-3) -- Lexie Nelson 10-17 2-3 25, Kalli McCloskey 3-5 0-0 6, Hannah Dysinger 0-0 0-0 0, Gwenn Abbott 2-9 3-4 7, Brianne Holland-Stergar 2-4 2-3 6, Alex Thatcher 0-1 0-2 0, Micaul McClafferty 1-6 1-2 3, Tatum Holland 0-0 0-0 0, Calley Bosch 1-5 0-0 2, Kabri Emerson 3-3 1-1 7, Keli Dennehy 0-1 0-0 0, Jaimee Paffhausen 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 23-52 9-15 58. HELENA HIGH (10-12) -- Kelli Hubley 2-5 0-0 4, Jordan Briski 2-4 0-1 4, Kelsey Williams 2-17 7-8 11, Sarah Jackson 1-1 0-0 3, Monica Grimsrud 4-11 3-5 11, Mariah Shein 1-4 0-0 2, Kyndal Williams 0-7 0-2 0, Taylor Kanthhack 1-3 0-2 2, Katie Gorsich 0-0 0-0 0, Sydney Carpenter 0-0 0-0 0, Sudne Simanton 0-0 0-0 0, Liz Hartley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 13-52 10-18 37. Butte High 17 12 18 11 -- 58 Helena High 4 10 15 8 -- 37 3-point goals -- Butte 3-14 (Nelson 3-6, McCloskey 0-1, Thatcher 0-1, McClafferty 0-5, Bosch 0-1), Helena 1-7 (Hubley 0-1, Kelsey Williams 0-1, Jackson 1-1, Shein 0-1, Kyndal Williams 0-3). Fouled out -- none. Total fouls -- Butte 18, Helena 12. Technicals -- none. Rebounds -- Butte 47 (Abbott 18), Helena 31 (Kelsey Williams 8). Blocks -- Butte 3 (Nelson 1, Abbott 1, Holland-Stergar 1), Helena 3 (Grimsrud 2, Kanthack 1). Assists -- Butte 14 (McCloskey 7), Helena 5 (Briski 2). Steals -- Butte 8 (Abbott 2, Holland-Stergar 2), Helena 7 (Briski 2). Turnovers -- Butte 20, Helena 18. Great Falls CMR 58, Helena Capital 38 The Helena Capital Bruins took the floor at the Butte Civic Center and had a rough first-half shooting performance. Great Falls CMR opened the game on an 11-0 run as Capital missed four straight free throws. The Bruins finished 15 percent from the field and 30 percent from the free throw line as Great Falls CMR took a 32-12 lead. The Rustlers shot 60 percent from the field in the first half and held onto the lead for the remainder. CMR was sparked on offense by Haley Vining with 22 points. She went 8-for-12, nabbed three steals and grabbed six boards. Lindsey Brendgord put up eight for CMR. Both Katy Klick and Jayme Hill had five assists. Helena Capital's Kelsi Brekke totaled nine points. Both Alecia Wilson and Kaci Matthies contributed eight points. -- By Sean Eamon of The Montana Standard HELENA CAPITAL (17-5) -- Kalli Heller 0-2 0-0 0, Sammi Bignell 3-10 0-0 7, Kelsi Brekke 1-6 7-11 9, Alecia Wilson 3-10 1-8 8, Kelsey Grey 1-5 0-0 2, Caity Pilgeram 1-2 0-0 3, Mary Ternes 0-0 0-0 0, Mary Miller 0-0 0-0 0, Kaci Matties 2-2 4-11 8, Jordan Johnston 0-6 1-3 1, Courtney Hauck 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 11-43 13-33 38. GREAT FALLS RUSSELL (16-6) -- Haley Vining 8-12 3-4 22, Lindsey Brendgord 2-6 2-2 8, Jordan Bagley 3-6 0-4 6, Katy Klick 1-4 4-6 6, Jayme Hill 0-2 4-6 4, Sarah Leo 0-0 0-0 0, Alison Sullivan 1-1 0-0 2, Kate Striepe 3-4 0-0 6, Donna Serido 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Lowry 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Quick 0-0 0-0 0, Natalie Beard 2-3 0-0 4. Totals 30-38 13-22 58. Capital 6 6 16 10 -- 38 CMR 16 16 11 15 -- 58 3-point goals -- Capital 3-11 (Bignell 1-3, Wilson 1-1, Pilgeram 1-2, Brekke 0-2, Johnstno 0-2, Grey 0-1), CMR 5-11 (Bining 3-4, Brendgord 2-5, Klick 0-1, Striepe 0-1). Rebounds -- Capital 30 (Bignell 5, Brekke 5, Grey 5, Matthies 5), CMR 36 (Bagley 8, Striepe 7). Fouls -- Capital 22, CMR 20. Assists -- Capital 2 (Wilson, Grey), CMR 13 (Klick 5, Hill 5). Blocks -- Capital 0, CMR 3 (Vining, Sullivan, Striepe). Steals -- Capital 9 (Bignell 3, Heller 2, Matthies 2), CMR 7 (Vining 3, Bagley 2). Turnovers -- Capital 15, CMR 16. Missoula Big Sky 59, Billings West 39 Joslyn Tinkle either scored or had a hand in 10 of Big Sky's first dozen points, as the Eagles took a 12-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Though the Golden Bears pulled within a point early in the second half, Big Sky never trailed in the game. Tinkle lit up the stats chart with 24 points, but that's just the beginning of the story. The Stanford-bound star also notched 18 rebounds, five blocked shots, four steals and a pair of assists. One particularly noteworthy play in the first quarter saw Tinkle dart laterally for a steal, sprint the ball back to the Eagles' end -- deftly avoiding defenders with a nifty behind-the-back dribble on the run -- then send a perfect dish to Amy McLaughlin, who finished the play. The Bears scored the first three points of the third period to close the gap to 20-19, but the Eagles went on a 13-0 run that ended the third period and began the fourth. Big Sky worked its way to an eventual 52-28 lead before subs began to see more and more playing time. West was led by 10 from Janiel Olson, while Danielle Muri had eight points and eight rebounds. Big Sky became the first girls AA team to win 20 games this season, claiming their first victory since a loss in their final regular-season game against Helena Capital. The Eagles will take on Bozeman in Friday's semifinal action. -- By Pat Ryan of The Montana Standard MISSOULA BIG SKY (20-1) -- Elleson Tinkle 1-5 2-2 4, Katie Showers 3-7 2-2 7, Joslyn Tinkle 5-17 14-14 24, Brittany Sept 1-4 0-0 3, Sarah Lidstrom 2-7 2-2 6, Amy McLaughlin 4-8 0-0 8, Brittany Bird Rattler 1-4 1-2 3, Kori Thornocdk 0-1 0-2 0, Stephanie Carl 0-0 4-4 4, Kelsey LaVaute 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-53 24-28 59. BILLINGS WEST (14-8) -- Mikensi Romersa 1-7 0-0 3, Alex Black 1-5 3-4 5, Olivia Pierce-Eiselein 0-1 1-3 1, Danielle Muri 4-7 0-0 8, Lauryn McKay 2-7 3-6 7, Janiel Olson 2-6 6-10 10, Kacie Hutton 1-3 0-2 2, Jessica Sharbono 0-2 2-2 2, Cassie Langstraat 0-3 1-2 1, Jessica Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Stpehanie Peterson 0-0 0-0 0, Devin Dennehy 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 11-42 16-29 39. Big Sky 12 8 18 21 -- 59 Billings West 6 10 9 14 -- 39 3-point goals -- Big Sky 1-7 (Sept 1-2, J.Tinkle 0-2, McLaughlin 0-1, Bird Rattler 0-2), West 1-6 (Romersa 1-2, Muri 0-1, Black 0-2, Langstraat 0-1). Rebounds -- Big Sky 42 (J.Tinkle 18), West 31 (Muri 8, McKay 8). Fouls -- Big Sky 24, West 18. Assists -- Big Sky 8 (3 with 2), West 4 (Muri 2). Blocks -- Big Sky 7 (J. Tinkle 5, Lidstrom, McLaughlin), West 2 (McKay, Pierce-Eiselein). Steals -- Big Sky 9 (J. Tinkle 4), West 8 (Sharbono 3). Turnovers -- Big Sky 15, West 20. Bozeman 32, Missoula Sentinel 21 The defensive standoff that began the girls' Class AA State tourney was the most impressive part of the first quarter that saw a single basket during the eight-minute stretch. Bozeman's Alexa Dawkins took a sharp pass from Emilee Grubb and tossed it in with 1:44 left in the first quarter to break a severe scoring drought. The Spartans didn't get on the board until 5:30 of the second quarter when Brette Rubie drove hard and dished off to Bree Bates for a layup, but by then Bozeman already had six points. The Hawks then got three buckets and eight more points from Kellie Cole to open up a 14-2 lead, and the game never got closer than eight points after that. Cole hit for a game-high 16 points -- half of her team's total, while Graff snagged 10 boards for the Hawks, who advance to a semifinal matchup with Missoula Big Sky. Rubie paced Sentinel with eight points, while Bryn Hasquet had seven points and six rebounds. Sentinel played fairly well, but had trouble with baskets falling. The Spartans were 0-for-14 in the first quarter and finished the first half 2-of-19. Sentinel shot 23 percent for the game, compared to 27 percent for Bozeman. -- By Pat Ryan of The Montana Standard BOZEMAN (17-5) -- Coriann Clark 1-7 0-1 2, Emilee Grub 1-5 0-1 2, Alexa Dawkins 3-4 0-0 6, Elli Graff 1-6 4-4 6, Kellie Cole 5-15 4-5 16, Jenna Banks 0-1 0-1 0, Lindsey Manning 0-2 0-0 0, Breanna Winters 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 11-41 8-12 32. SENTINEL (16-6) -- Caitlin Gaul 1-9 0-0 2, Bryn Hasquet 3-9 0-0 7, Brette Rubie 2-10 4-4 8, Sarah Messmer 0-1 0-0 0, Bree Bates 1-1 0-0 2, McCall Hasquet 1-1 0-0 2, Amanda Davis 0-1 0-0 0, D.J. Reinhardt 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 8-35 4-4 21. Bozeman 2 14 6 10 -- 32 Sentinel 0 4 6 11 -- 21 3-point goals n Bozeman 2-12 (Clark 0-2, Cole 2-8, Banks 0-1, Manning 0-1), Sentinel 1-8 (Gaul 0-4, B. Hasquet 1-3, Rubie 0-1). Rebounds n Bozeman 31 (Graff 10), Sentinel 30 (B. Hasquet 6). Fouls n Bozeman 11, Sentinel 13. Fouled out n Rubie. Technical fouls n none. Assists n Bozeman 4 (Grub 2), Sentinel 3. Turnovers n Bozeman 11, Sentinel 17. Blocks n Bozeman 3 (Dawkins 2), Sentinel 1. Steals n Bozeman 11 (Grub 3, Cole 4), Sentinel 5 (M. Hasquet 2). Video online To view highlights from the Class AA State basketball tournament at the Butte Civic Center, go to mtstandard.com/multimedia. State AA Girls at Butte Civic Center Thursday Bozeman 32, Missoula Sentinel 21 Missoula Big Sky 59, Billings West 39 Great Falls Russell 58, Helena Capital 38 Butte 58, Helena 37 Friday Noon -- Missoula Sentinel, 16-6 vs. Billings West, 15-7, lo 1:30 p.m. -- Helena Capital, 17-5 vs. Helena, 10-12, lo 6:30 p.m. -- Bozeman, 17-5 vs. Missoula Big Sky, 20-1, sf 8 p.m. -- Great Falls Russell 16-6 vs. Butte, 18-3, sf To see more of The Montana Standard, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mtstandard.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Montana Standard, Butte Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |