CHICAGO — Spencer Laird of Missoula Loyola has been named the 2025-26 Gatorade Montana girls basketball player of the year, the organization announced Friday.
Laird, a 6-foot-3 junior forward, averaged 28.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.5 steals per game through the first 20 games of the season. She had 15 points, 12 rebounds and four steals Thursday in the Breakers' 54-46 win over Ennis in the first round of the Class B state tournament. Loyola will play Malta in a semifinal game at 5 p.m. Friday.
According to a Gatorade news release, Laird is a two-time first-team all-state selection, and she led the state in scoring as a sophomore. The release also said Laird is ranked in the national Elite 150 for the Class of 2027 by Prospects Nation.
“Spencer is a great player,” Jefferson coach Clint Layng said. “She’s extremely difficult to match up with because she’s 6-foot-3 and can step out and shoot 3-pointers pretty consistently. When she goes inside, you have to double her because one person isn’t stopping her. She finishes well and has great footwork.”
Laird, who has committed to play at Stanford University, maintains an A average in the classroom and is a member of Loyola's choir, according to the release.
"Laird has volunteered locally by organizing a community hygiene drive for a Missoula homeless shelter," the release said. "An active member of her school’s campus ministry program, she’s also served as an officer in her Future Health Professionals of America chapter. She has also donated her time to the Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church."
The Gatorade player of the year award annually recognizes student-athletes who excel in sport, academics and community. Laird is the first from Loyola to win the girls basketball player of the year honor. Loyola alum Reynolds Johnston won the boys award in 2024 and 2025.
Paige Lofing of Huntley Project was the 2025 Gatorade Montana girls basketball player of the year.
