When she gets on a roll, watch out.  Brooke Badovinac went on an absolute tear in the 4th quarter, scoring 20 points on her way to a school-record-tying 42, but it was not enough as Stevensville outlasted the Maroons 66-59 in overtime Saturday afternoon at the Maroon Activities Center.

Brooke Badovinac tied a Butte Central's single-game scoring record with 42 points Saturday against Stevensville.
Brooke Badovinac tied a Butte Central's single-game scoring record with 42 points Saturday against Stevensville.  Photo: Tommy O/Townsquare Media
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In fact, she saved her best for the last part of the final stanza.  After Yellowjackets guard Claire Hutchison put Stevensville up by 11 with 3:35 to play, Badovinac turned it on.  The senior Oredigger signee was fouled by Stevi freshman Jaden Fisher on a driving layup and got the free-throw for the first of three consecutive "and one" situations.  The next would come off a steal and another Stevensville freshman, Addison Drye, would be the guilty party putting Bado back on the foul line and pulling the Maroons to within 5 at 50-45.  Badovinac would convert another Butte Central three-point-play and the Maroons would be within 2 before getting a taste of their own medicine as Alexandra Perez would convert a three-point play for Stevensville putting them back up by 5 at 53-48.  Badovinac would convert yet another three the hard way for Butte Central and they would be within 2 with under a minute to play.  Butte Central's defense would hold through the rest of regulation, forcing the sharp shooting Hutchison into a missed shot.  Stevi would have the ball and a two-point lead with under 20 seconds to play when Badovinac would force the ball loose, racing the length of the court for a layup.  With 7.3 seconds to go, junior Mollie Drew would foul out putting Hutchison on the free-throw line with 2.3 seconds on the clock.  Amazingly, Hutchison missed both free throw attempts and we would head to overtime.

Badovinac would net 6 points in overtime, but she would be the only Maroon to score and Stevensville would escape with a seven-point victory.  Her 42-points put her back in the BC record books for most points scored in a single game, tying the great Kellie Johnson who set the record a quarter century ago against Whitehall on the girls side.  Mike McLeod dropped 42 for the Maroon boys against Deer Lodge in the early 1980s.

Butte Central will be back in action this Thursday as the boys and girls host the Dillon Beavers in a Southwest A doubleheader.