HAMILTON — Butte Central’s girls basketball team isn’t headed home to the Western A Divisional tournament as the Southwestern A District champions.
The Maroons, thought, are definitely riding high as they return to the Mining City.
Three BC players scored in double figures as the Maroons knocked off regular-season champion Hamilton 47-42 in the third place game of the first Southwestern A District tournament on the Broncs’ Dale Berry Court.
The loss was the third for the Broncs (18-3) and their second in as many days. Hamilton fell to Frenchtown in Friday’s semifinals.
Butte Central scored the first eight points of the third quarter and outscored Hamilton 25-18 in the second half to overcome a 24-22 halftime deficit.
Kloie Thatcher scored 12 points to lead the Maroons (16-5). She went 5 for 5 from the free throw line to lead a BC team effort that was 9 for 9 from the stripe.
Tricia Joyce hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points for the Maroons, while Megan Michelotti scored 10.
BC also got an eight-point performance from Olivia Bolton. Cassidy Strizic added four points, and Kailee Murphy tossed in two.
Allyson Mueller and Emma Keeley also contributed to BC’s second victory of the Day.
Cariann Kunkel’s 15 points led the way for Hamilton. Tessa Della Silva, Tristy Searle, Jorden Taggart and Lauren Ryter each scored six points for the Broncs.
Central will open the divisional tournament at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Butte Civic Center.
HAMILTON (18-3) — Tessa Della Silva 2 0-0 6, Tristy Searl3 2 0-0 6, Kara Nye 0 0-0 0, Mallory McGill 1 1-1 3, Cariann Kunkel 6 1-2 15, Jorden Taggart 2 0-0 6, Abby Johnson 0 0-0 0, Lauren Ryter 3 0-0 6. Totals 16 2-3 42.
BUTTE CENTRAL (16-5) — Kloie Thatcher 3 5-5 12, Olivia Bolton 4 0-0 8, Cassidy Strizic 1 2-2 4, Megan Michelotti 4 2-2 10, Tricia Joyce 4 0-0 11, Kailee Murphy 1 0-0 2, Allyson Mueller 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 9-9 47.
Hamilton 16 8 9 9 — 42
Butte Central 11 11 15 10 — 47
3-point goals — Hamilton 8 (Della Silva 2, Searle 2, Kunkel 2, Taggart 2), BC 4 (Joyce 3, Thatcher 1). Fouls — Hamilton 11, BC 2. Fouled out — None.
