BAKER — The Baker girls basketball team has played for back-to-back Class B state basketball championships, winning it all in 2024 before finishing runner-up in 2025.
Those two appearances coincide with the two years that sisters Madison and Avery O'Connor have played together. With Madison now a senior and Avery a junior, the Spartans are eyeing a third consecutive title game appearance.
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"Just knowing we lost lots of height from last year, knowing that we have to get up and down the court a lot faster this year," Madison O'Connor said. "We have the athletes to do it this year.
"We have eight solid players, a good bench. As long as we can transition well, finish the easy layups and just play together like we did this past weekend."
Madison burst onto the high school basketball scene as a freshman and has been tormenting opposing teams since. The growth and improvement of Avery, though, is what could propel the Spartans back to the top.
“It's been insane just seeing how far she's come. Just being able to witness it and watch it — other people might not notice it as well, but I notice every single step. It's a beautiful thing to watch grow," Madison O'Connor said.
"It's been great. I've played with her since kindergarten every day. We always push each other to be our best and know that we want the best for each other no matter what," Avery O'Connor said. "We're two of the most competitive people ever. Everything is a competition, so we obviously argue a lot, but we know we're each other's best friend."
As for Madison, the Montana State signee has been taking dead aim at the MHSA record book. She’ll likely finish inside Montana’s top two all time in scoring, assists, steals and 3-pointers, but she doesn’t care in the slightest unless her team is winning.
“The personal accolades are cool and all, but it really just comes down to the team and all the girls that have been with me throughout it all, because without them I wouldn't be anywhere," Madison O'Connor said.
Madison and Avery’s mom’s name Sheila (Hutchison) came up recently, as she was the last Montana State women’s basketball player to record a triple-double before Taylee Chirrick did so earlier this season.
“It's really cool to see that. It's really shocking, too," Madison O'Connor said with a laugh. "We were at that game actually and went in the locker room after and they told us, and it's just really shocking."
These O’Connor sisters can stuff the stat sheet just like their mom could back in the day, and they’re hoping that leads to hardware in March.
