Arlee tops Mission; Bulldogs bounce back with overtime win

Lake County Class B boys basketball teams Arlee and St. Ignatius traded results last week, with Arlee earning a decisive win in a valley matchup against the Bulldogs before Mission rebounded with an overtime victory against Deer Lodge.

Arlee Warriors took control early Friday, pulling away from the Mission Bulldogs for a 60-37 win.

 The Warriors built a slim two-point lead after the first quarter and steadily increased the margin in each period, holding the Bulldogs to single-digit scoring in three of four quarters. The Warriors closed strong with an 18-point fourth quarter to put the game out of reach and improve to 4-1 on the season.

Mission was led by Lex LaFrombois with 22 points. Jason Leishman added eight, while Vinny Shepard scored seven as the Bulldogs slipped to 2-3. 

Mission responded the following night with a hard-fought 71-65 overtime win over Deer Lodge.

After a back-and-forth game that ended tied at 59, the Bulldogs took control in the extra period, outscoring the Wardens 12-6 to secure the victory.

LaFrombois delivered a standout performance, scoring 38 points to pace Mission. Shepard added 23 points, while Leishman finished with six. Macklen McDonald and Wyatt Branson each scored two in the win.

Deer Lodge was led by Jarrett Pennington with 18 points, followed by Blake Hawkes with 15 and Kaiden Beck with 13.