BUTTE — For the first time in nearly five years, Butte High School is in sole possession of the crosstown basketball rivalry championships.
The Butte High girls stormed past Butte Central 52-26 while the Butte High boys held on and then pulled away from the Maroons in the final minutes for a 76-67 victory at the Butte Civic Center on Friday evening.
It was the first time the Bulldogs had earned a sweep in the city championship since Feb. 7, 2019, a night that was most memorable for the Bulldog boys outlasting the Maroons in overtime after Central's Cade Holter drilled a game-tying triple from midcourt at the buzzer to force an extra period.
The Butte girls' win over Central extended their win streak over the Maroons to five games. After building an 8-7 lead after one quarter the Bulldogs reeled off 10 unanswered points to open the second quarter to pull away early. Ashlinn Mulaney poured in a game-high 15 points for Butte while Mollie Drew led the Maroons with 12 points.
The Bulldog boys' victory over the Maroons was the first crosstown win for fifth-year head coach Matt Luedtke. Butte opened the game on a 9-0 run before watching Central tie up and eventually take the lead to kick start a back-and-forth game. Butte managed to build a 55-50 lead after three quarters and pulled away late in the fourth to hand the Maroons their first loss of the season.
Butte High sophomore Hudson Luedtke racked up a game-high 32 points and Butte Central freshman Joshua Sutton led the Maroons with 22 points.
Both teams resume play on Jan. 4 with Butte Central playing at Anaconda and Butte High opening Western AA play at home against Missoula Hellgate.
