DILLON – Class A rivals Dillon and Butte Central met in Dillon on Thursday night for a boys and girls basketball doubleheader.
In the boys game, it was back and forth all first half. The score was tied at 22 heading into halftime. After the break, Dillon came out shooting hot behind Dylan Cervelli’s impressive second half from beyond the arc. The Maroons, who are usually a good shooting team, had no answers. Brayden Harrington, despite dropping a team-high 17 points, couldn’t get any rhythm going late and senior forward Cade Holter fouled out midway through the fourth quarter. Butte Central fell behind by double digits and never recovered. Dillon topped Butte Central, 56-46, to hand the Maroons their second consecutive loss following a 12-0 start.
Butte Central’s girls evened the score in the second game. The Maroons’ Tricia Joyce hit a couple shots early and the Maroons led 20-12 at half. Dillon drew closer at the end of the third, only trailing 27-24. But Butte Central’s stingy defense and strong transition game ultimately made the difference, as it went on to win by a final of 43-35, sweeping the series against their rival.
The Butte Central boys play against Livingston at home on Friday and the girls play at Livingston on Saturday. The Dillon boys host Stevensville at home on Saturday and the girls will play on the road that day against Stevensville as well.
