No. 3 Rangers rout Butte Central

What’s the best kept secret in Livingston?

It might just be the Park High School boys basketball team.

Over the weekend, the highly touted and No. 3-ranked Rangers squared off with two of State A’s best in Butte Central and Dillon.

Friday, the Maroons had no answer for the one-two punch of Dallas Lussier and Jesse Darr in the Rangers’ 72-52 victory.

Saturday, Dillon — who had scouts at Friday’s game — got everything they bargained for in the matchup of the state’s No. 2- and No. 3-ranked squads.

Unforced errors from Park, combined with standout efforts by Wes Knox and J.T. Linder, were the difference-maker in the Beavers’ 73-59 victory.

“We learned a couple of things over the weekend,” said Park coach Scott Rosberg. “One, we can play with the best teams in the state; and two, we’ve still got some work to do.”

Friday, Butte Central stuck with the Rangers early on.

It trailed just 30-24 at intermission.

But in the third, Butte Central’s hopes of pulling off the upset were dashed.

Lussier and Darr made sure of it.

Darr netted seven of his 17 points in the quarter, and Lussier chipped in six of his 19 in the game to spark a 17-9 run that put the Rangers comfortably in front 47-33 with eight minutes remaining.

In the first two minutes of the fourth, Lussier connected on a pair of 3-pointers to help hand Park its largest lead of the game at 62-36.

“It was a classic team win for us,” said Rosberg. 

Landon Willyerd finished with 13 points for the Rangers, Chance Zahn added 10, and Colton Gavne chipped in five.

Brady Tippett led the Maroons with 18 points, Colin Hollow added nine, and Zach Kasperick finished with seven.

Saturday’s matchup between the No. 2- and No. 3-ranked squads in Class A was a wild one.

The two teams played to an 18-8 draw through the first quarter.

Park sprinted to a 10-point lead early in the second stanza, but Dillon took control in the second half of the quarter for a 37-33 halftime lead.

“They’re good, no doubt about it,” said Rosberg of the Beavers. “They’re the best team we’ve seen this season.”

Dillon’s consistency, and Park’s lack of it, were pivotal in the second half as the Beavers outscored the Rangers by five in both the third and fourth quarters to earn the 14-point decision.

Knox, 20 points, and Linder, 19, accounted for 39 of the Beavers points.

“They’re athletes,” said Rosberg. “We look forward to having a chance to play them again.”

Marcus Payne led the Rangers with 18 points, Lussier had 12, Decker Willson chipped in 11, and Willyerd and Darr netted eight and seven points respectively.

With the weekend split, the Rangers are 12-3 overall.

The Rangers return to action Thursday against visiting Big timber and Friday in their home finale against Lewistown.