ANACONDA — The calendar flipped, the setting changed, but the results stayed the same for Butte Central.
Both Maroon squads opened the new year on the road Tuesday night and came away with wins, as the boys held off Anaconda 55–49 while the girls controlled their matchup from start to finish in a 37–22 victory.
Boys: Butte Central 55, Anaconda 49
The Maroons leaned on their backcourt and answered every Anaconda run, improving to 5–1 with a steady road performance.
Joshua Sutton and Ryan Peoples led the way, combining for 37 points and six three-pointers. Sutton finished with 19, while Peoples followed with 18, as the duo consistently delivered when Central needed a basket.
BC came out sharp, jumping out to a 19–13 lead after one quarter and taking a 28–23 advantage into halftime. Anaconda kept things close throughout, cutting the margin to six heading into the fourth, but Central maintained control down the stretch.
Jaxon Hiatt added five points, while GG Fantini and Burkley Lakkala chipped in four apiece. Noah Sutton and Cade Kelly rounded out the scoring for a balanced Maroon effort.
Travis Dye kept Anaconda within striking distance, pouring in 21 points and knocking down five shots from long range. Brody Galle added 10 for the Copperheads, but Central’s poise and perimeter shooting proved to be the difference late.
Boys Box Score
Butte Central (5–1)
Peoples 18, Sutton 19, Hiatt 5, Fantini 4, Lakkala 4, Noah Sutton 3, Kelly 2, Mansanti 0
Team totals: 18 field goals, 7 three-pointers, 12 free throws — 55 points
Anaconda (5–2)
Dye 21, Galle 10, Schalk 7, Jones 5, Kyson Patrick 4, Lacey 2, Cromwell 0, Trev Patrick 0
Team totals: 16 field goals, 7 three-pointers, 10 free throws — 49 points
Quarter scores
BC: 19 | 9 | 12 | 15 — 55
Anaconda: 13 | 10 | 11 | 14 — 49
Girls: Butte Central 37, Anaconda 22
The Butte Central girls wasted no time setting the tone, holding Anaconda to just two points in the opening quarter and never looking back.
Eighth grader Jordyn Samson made the most of her varsity road trip, draining three shots from beyond the arc and finishing with 12 points. Zayonna Otherbull matched her output with 12 of her own as Central’s offense stayed balanced and efficient.
The Maroons led 17–12 at halftime and extended the margin to double digits after three quarters, using defensive pressure to fuel the offense.
Rylee Forbes and Arika Stajcar each scored four points, while Braelynn Schelin, Luci Fanti, and Jaedyn Maldonado also contributed as Central improved to 2–4.
Jade Moses led Anaconda with eight points, while Averie Sandoval and Jasmine Johnson added to the scoring for the Copperheads.
Girls Box Score
Butte Central (2–4)
Samson 12, Otherbull 12, Forbes 4, Stajcar 4, Schelin 2, Fanti 2, Maldonado 1, Smith 0
Team totals: 14 field goals, 3 three-pointers, 6 free throws — 37 points
Anaconda (1–6)
Moses 8, Sandoval 7, Johnson 4, Case 2, Olson 1, Jovanovich 0, Saltenberger 0
Team totals: 7 field goals, 0 three-pointers, 8 free throws — 22 points
Quarter scores
BC: 12 | 5 | 9 | 11 — 37
Anaconda: 2 | 10 | 4 | 6 — 22
