BUTTE – Day 2 of the Southwestern A district tournament was Friday at the Maroon Activities Center in Butte. Semifinal matchups on the boys side pit one-seed Hamilton versus four-seed Frenchtown and two-seed Butte Central versus three-seed Dillon. On the girls side, it was one-seed Corvallis versus four-seed Hamilton and two-seed Butte Central versus three-seed Dillon.
The Hamilton and Frenchtown boys got the day started. The first half was an absolute shootout. Both teams combined for 17 3-point attempts in the first half alone. Cade Baker led the way for Frenchtown with 25 points. Hunter Omlid scored a team high 19 for Hamilton, which was able to run out the clock and hit some clutch free throws to secure a 69-64 win to move on to the title game.
The Corvallis and Hamilton girls met next. It was a tight game that went back and forth throughout. The Blue Devils were led by Lainie Albright’s 11-point performance. Hamilton, led by Lauren Ryter’s 17, gave the top-seeded Blue Devils a run for their money. In the final seconds, Hamilton’s Kaitlin Dickemore hit the go-ahead layup and the Broncs pulled off the 48-44 upset of Corvallis to advance to Saturday’s championship game.
Butte Central and Dillon played for the right to meet the Hamilton boys in the title game. Both squads were 1-1 against each other this season coming into Friday’s game. Butte Central, led by junior Brayden Harrington’s 12 points on 2-of-5 shooting from 3-point land, held the lead after Dillon’s initial 2-0 lead to start the game. The Beavers were led by Michael Haverfield, who dropped a game-high 25, including a prayer of a 3 in the final seconds to make the game a little closer. In the end, the Maroons held on for the 53-46 win and will play Hamilton in the Southwestern A title game on Saturday night.
Butte Central’s girls got the better of Dillon, too. The Maroons trailed by double digits early on, but they went on a 15-0 run late in the game to secure the 58-47 win. Emma Keely led the way with a game-high 22 points. Just as the Butte Central boys will, the Butte Central girls will face Hamilton in Saturday’s Southwestern A championship.
