BUTTE — At the Western A divisional girls basketball tournament Thursday, Browning and Hamilton laid claim to convincing first-round wins.
Browning took care of Hamilton while Frenchtown ran away from Ronan, setting up a semifinal matchup between the two Friday at the Civic Center.
Later Thursday, Dillon pulled way from Columbia Falls in the second half to secure a semifinal berth and Bigfork made quick work of Corvallis to advance.
Browning 68, Hamilton 37
Balanced scoring led Browning to a 68-37 victory over Hamilton in the first round. The Indians put 10 players in the scoring column to advance to Friday's semis.
Natalee St. Goddard led Browning with 11 poitnts, while Shaylee Heavy Runner added 10. Brooke Blue had nine points and Teslin Trombley added eight for the Indians.
Hamilton turned the ball over 25 times and shot just 27%. Ashlynn McKern led the Broncs with 18 points and five rebounds.
Frenchtown 66, Ronan 40
It was the Madi Kaufman and Mason Quinn show in Frenchtown's 66-40 rout of Ronan in Thursday's opening round.
Kaufman had 21 points and Quinn scored 20 for the Broncs, who cruised into Friday's semifinals with the victory. Quinn also had eight rebounds. Sadie Smith added 14 points for Frenchtown, which will face Browning on Friday.
Ronan was led by Maddy Illig and Kailyn Marengo, who each had nine points. Lauryn Buhr added eight points for the Maidens, who will play in a loser-out game Friday.
Dillon 52, Columbia Falls 31
Dillon turned a close game at halftime into a 52-31 victory over Columbia Falls in the first round Thursday night to advance.
The Beavers outscored C-Falls 30-11 in the second half to pull away. Dillon was led by Kenleigh Graham and Halle Fitzgerald, who each had 11 points. Kylie Konen pulled down 13 rebounds.
Hope McAtee's 14 points paced Columbia Falls, which fell into loser-out play Friday. Taryn Borgen added seven points and seven rebounds for the Wildkats.
Bigfork 69, Corvallis 17
Bigfork jumped out to a 16-point lead after the first quarter and never looked back in a 69-17 rout of Corvallis in the first round Thursday.
The Valkyries advanced to the semis behind 17 points from Ava Davey and 12 points and nine rebounds from Braeden Gunlock. Keni Wade added 10 points and Paeton Gunlock had seven steals for the Vals, who will face Dillon on Friday.
Brecklyn Jessop paced Corvallis with six points. Ericka Jessop grabbed six rebounds for the Blue Devils, who turned the ball over 29 times.
