(Editor's note: this article will be updated with highlights)
MISSOULA—Isaac Pedraza scored 23 points and added five rebounds as Havre took down Frenchtown 65-54 in the first round at the State A boys basketball tournament at Dahlberg Arena on Wednesday.
Havre, the No. 4 seed out of the Eastern A, held a slim advantage throughout most of the first half, but Devin Shelton's 13 first-half points allowed the Broncs to even things up at halftime at 23-23.
The Broncs closed the third quarter on a 9-2 run to take a two-point lead into the final frame, but the Ponies responded behind Pedraza's strong performance. Eighteen of Pedraza's points came in the second half.
Havre advances to play the Western A's top seed, Butte Central, in the quarterfinals Thursday at 1:30 p.m. Frenchtown will play the loser of Lewistown vs. Hamilton on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in loser-out action.
Dillon 57, Laurel 35
The Dillon boys took an early lead and never looked back en route to a 57-35 win over Laurel in the quarterfinals of the State A boys tournament on Wednesday.
Dillon took a 15-4 lead after the first quarter, but Laurel scrapped back to make it a 26-18 game by halftime. Dillon's physicality was too much for Laurel in the second half however, and the Beavers cruised into Friday afternoon's semifinal game against Lewistown.
Callahan Hoffman went to work offensively inside for the Beavers, going 8-for-12 from the field for 19 points. Connor Curnow added 17 for Dillon, while Jonathan Kirkley scored 10.
No one from Laurel reached double figures in scoring. Hunter Ward led the Locomotives with nine points. Laurel moves to loser-out action Friday at 10:30 a.m.
Lewistown 77, Hamilton 53
Lewistown used a third-quarter scoring barrage to outpace Hamilton 77-53 in the quarterfinals of the State A boys tournament.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, Lewistown stretched its lead to 33-23 by halftime behind 12 first-half points from Bryce Graham. Hamilton struggled to find offensive rhythm, especially inside, where Lewistown's Luke Clinton collected four blocks.
The Golden Eagles outscored Hamilton 26-13 in the third quarter and rode that momentum the rest of the way. Fischer Brown scored 22 points, while Graham added 20. Royce Robinson collected a double-double for the Golden Eagles with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Lewistown advances to Friday's semifinal game against Dillon. Hamilton moves to a loser-out game Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
