Quinn, Broncs Too Much for Maroons

Butte Central’s girls basketball team ran into a buzz saw Tuesday night in Frenchtown, dropping a 55-18 decision to a Broncs squad that took control early and never eased off the gas.

Frenchtown set the tone from the start, jumping out to a big first-quarter lead and rolling into halftime with a 36-13 advantage. Broncs guard Mason Quinn caught fire and finished with 21 points in three quarters, spearheading a balanced Frenchtown attack that kept the Maroons on their heels.

Eighth grader Jordyn Samson was a bright spot for Butte Central, leading the way with seven points while knocking down all three of her free throws. Junior post Rylee Forbes battled inside for four points, and guard Arika Stajcar added three as she tried to spark the Maroons from the perimeter.

Mila Carriger chipped in two points, with Zayonna Otherbull and Braelynn Schelin each adding a free throw to round out BC’s scoring. Though the stat sheet was lopsided, the night gave valuable varsity minutes to a deep rotation that included Evyn Smith, Caden Tippett, Marly Mansanti, Jaedyn Maldonado and Luci Fantini.

Frenchtown showed why it is considered one of the top teams in the Southwestern A, backing Quinn’s big night with eight points apiece from Jezzy Palmer and Laney Holleran and seven more from Blake Hardy. The Broncs’ length and pressure limited second-chance looks and turned defensive stops into points going the other way.

The loss drops the Maroons to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play, but this group has already shown it can respond, with recent wins over Anaconda and Stevensville on the résumé. With Samson, Otherbull and Forbes continuing to grow into their roles and a deep bench gaining experience each week, Butte Central will look to use Tuesday’s setback as fuel as league play heats up heading into the heart of January.