Montana high school basketball teams returned to the courts on Jan. 3 after a break during the Christmas holiday. December tipoff tournaments created intriguing non-conference matchups, including contests between different classifications, and numerous athletes have also had statement games in the first week of 2019.
Each week, MTN Sports will update a list of the state’s “30-point club,” showcasing the performances of 30 points or more throughout the season.
Friday night featured an impressive scoring duel between Wibaux’s Cobe Begger and Jordan’s Keenan Murnion. Begger dropped a school-record 47 points on 15-of-20 shooting, including an impressive 12-of-14 output on two-point field goals. He also had three 3s and 12 rebounds. Murnion had 33 points, but it wasn’t enough to slow Begger and the Longhorns as Wibaux won 70-62.
Chase Bertelsen held the previous Wibaux single-game scoring record at 40 points.
It didn’t take long for Hamilton’s Tanner Goligoski to hit the 30-point mark, pouring in 37 points in a loss to Whitefish on Dec. 7. Choteau’s Sayer Patton, who MTN Sports featured last season, has already crossed the 30-point threshold six times and is 15 points from reaching 1,500 in his career. Patton and Choteau are at Cut Bank on Thursday.
Power’s Jessie Maruska is tied with Box Elder’s Lilly Gopher for the top girls mark of the season, her 35 points coming in a win over Sunburst on Dec. 13. Maruska crossed the 1,000-point mark for her career in the contest. Gopher’s effort came in a battle of unbeatens Friday, where her Bears defeated Fort Benton 78-63.
The list below showcases some of the top-scoring performances of the 2018-2019 season. Please encourage your coaches and administrators to send statistics to sports@ktvh.com at the conclusion of games. If a 30-point performance is missing from the list, please send the official box score to sports@ktvh.com. Performances cannot be submitted without the official box score.
Boys basketball
Cobe Begger, Wibaux — 47 points vs. Jordan on Jan. 4
Sayer Patton, Choteau — 38 points vs. Eureka on Dec. 7
Tanner Goligoski, Hamilton — 37 points vs. Whitefish on Dec. 7
Sayer Patton, Choteau — 35 points vs. Conrad on Jan. 4
Sayer Patton, Choteau — 35 points vs. Thompson Falls on Dec. 8
Caden Smerker, Simms — 35 points vs. Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap on Dec. 8
Shane Kimmel, Turner — 34 points vs. Hays-Lodgepole on Jan. 4
Zach Thomas, Hobson-Moore-Judith Gap — 34 points vs. Simms on Dec. 8
Sayer Patton, Choteau — 34 points vs. Townsend on Dec. 15
Dawson Allen, Fairfield — 33 points vs. Shelby on Jan. 5
Keenan Murnion, Jordan — 33 points vs. Wibaux on Jan. 4
Cade Tyson, Billings West — 33 points vs. Missoula Sentinel on Dec. 8
Tanner Trafton, Lewistown — 32 points vs. Havre on Jan. 5
Sayer Patton, Choteau — 32 points vs. Shelby on Jan. 3
Brody Grebe, Melstone — 32 points vs. Ekalaka on Dec. 15
Trevor Swanson, Ennis — 31 points vs. White Sulphur Springs on Jan. 5
Brody Grebe, Melstone — 31 points vs. Wibaux on Dec. 21
Jonah Parke, Drummond — 30 points vs. Darby on Jan. 5
Kell Schwers, Big Timber — 30 points vs. Jefferson on Jan. 5
Brody Grebe, Melstone — 30 points vs. Custer-Hysham on Dec. 22
Sayer Patton, Choteau — 30 points vs. Centerville on Dec. 14
Girls basketball
Lilly Gopher, Box Elder — 35 points vs. Fort Benton on Jan. 4
Sarah Billmayer, Turner — 35 points vs. Dodson on Dec. 21
Jessie Maruska, Power — 35 points vs. Sunburst on Dec. 13
Grace Weber, Dutton-Brady — 34 points vs. Heart Butte on Dec. 21
Marni Schieffer, Wibaux — 34 points vs. Melstone on Dec. 21
Draya Wacker, Melstone — 34 points vs. Ekalaka on Dec. 15
Kyle Olson, Three Forks — 32 points vs. Jefferson on Dec. 20
Grace Weber, Dutton-Brady — 31 points vs. Cascade on Dec. 15
Olivia Isakson, Augusta — 30 points vs. Big Sandy on Dec. 18
Skyler Martin, Shelby — 30 points vs. Cut Bank on Dec. 20
