Butte High took control early and never looked back Friday night, rolling past Helena High on the road for a convincing 74–41 win.
The Bulldogs set the tone from the opening tip, racing out to a 22–8 first-quarter lead behind balanced scoring and relentless defensive pressure. Helena struggled to find clean looks as Butte pushed the pace and attacked from multiple spots on the floor.
Butte continued to build separation in the second quarter, outscoring Helena 16–10 to take a 38–18 advantage into halftime. The Bulldogs knocked down shots from the perimeter, shared the ball well, and made life difficult for Helena with active hands and strong help defense.
Any thought of a Helena rally disappeared in the third. Butte clamped down defensively and poured in 21 more points, stretching the lead to 59–26 heading into the final quarter. The Bulldogs continued to control the glass and turn stops into easy offense.
Helena found a little rhythm late, matching Butte with 15 points in the fourth, but the outcome was long decided as the Bulldogs cruised to the finish.
Allie Becker led the way for Butte with 21 points, while Elli Graham added 16 and Cadence Graham chipped in 14. The Bulldogs knocked down seven three-pointers on the night and showed depth, balance, and poise throughout.
Lauryn Lieberg led Helena High with 16 points in the loss.
Butte finished the night shooting efficiently, playing unselfish basketball, and delivering a complete road performance from start to finish.
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BOX SCORE
BUTTE HIGH (6–3, 4–0)
Allie Becker 8 3-3 21
Cadence Graham 4 5-8 14
Autumn Clary 3 0-0 6
Franki Salusso 2 0-0 4
Emma Johnson 1 2-2 4
Elli Graham 5 2-2 16
Saege Grey 3 2-4 8
Kendalynn Schad 0 0-0 0
Avery Barsness 0 0-0 0
Reese Johnson 0 0-0 0
Stella Callaghan 0 1-2 1
Totals: 26 15-21 74
HELENA HIGH (3–6, 1–3)
Lauryn Lieberg 5 6-7 16
Dakota Lieberg 2 2-6 7
Alexa Lundstrom 2 0-0 5
McKenna Pipinich 1 0-0 2
Kortney McKay 1 0-0 3
Emmie Bermingham 0 0-0 0
Izzy Lundstrom 0 0-0 0
Maddie McCullough 1 0-0 3
Presley Swenson 0 0-0 0
Jessie Leland 0 0-0 0
Cassidy Smith 1 1-2 3
Greta Peterson 1 0-0 2
Totals: 14 9-17 41
Quarter scores
Butte: 22 16 21 15 — 74
Helena: 8 10 8 15 — 41
3-point goals — Butte 7 (E. Graham 4, Becker 2, C. Graham), Helena 4 (D. Lieberg, Lundstrom, McKay, McCullough).
Fouls — Butte 15, Helena 16.
Fouled out — none.
Technicals — none.
