Game Day 1/21/12

OFFICIAL PROGRAM

Staying on the ball Tech’s A.J. Paine defines ‘student-athlete’

D3

Montana Western at Tech Saturday, January 21 Women 5:30 p.m. ■ Men 7:30 p.m.

Kelvin Sampson Court A publication of The Montana Standard and Montana Tech

GO DIGGERS

D2 THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012

BU-20291744

Montana Owned and Operated

Montana’s

nd Right Arou . .. the Corner en...

Always Op at Always Wh You Need!

BEST

Since 1953

www.townpump.com

Comfort Inn is the host hotel for Montana Tech!!

Beverages d n a s k c a n S eli Food • Delicious D co Products c a b o T • l e s Gas & Die s & Coffee k in r D in a t n Fou

Offering a g ood night's sleep & a fe w extras!

F

or Reserva tio

1.800.442.ns Call 4667 www.comfo • Try our Free rtinnb

Del Breakfast Buffet uxe • Free secure high speed internet • Meeting roo ms for business or pleasure • Indoor heat ed po hot tub & fitness ol, sauna, room (available at mos t locations) • Special roo m rate teams and fans s for

utte.com

THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012 D3

Keeping it all on the ball Tech’s A.J. Paine a true student-athlete

BY PAT RYAN of The Montana Standard

pare time is a luxury in short supply for A.J. Paine.

The Montana Tech senior has his hands full between a starting position on the Oredigger men’s basketball team and a double major in Chemistry and Petroleum Engineering.

What’s amazing, however, is how well the 6-foot guard handles the oversized load.

Studying at one of the toughest academic schools around, Paine carries a 3.5 grade point average and has earned Academic All-America honors. Playing in the always-competitive Frontier Conference, Paine is the top-ranked free throw shooter in the NAIA.

S

“I really admire A.J. for what he’s accomplished on and 0ff the court,” said Orediggers head coach Aaron Woliczko. “He is a tremendous young man and he busts his butt every day. I don’t think you could find someone who better represents a student-athlete.”

Paine, who enjoyed a successful athletic and academic career at Paine Billings Senior, came to Tech to play basketball, but said that the school was his primary reason for coming to Tech. Though he was undecided major-wise in his freshman year, Paine soon gravitated toward chemistry and the petroleum field.

“They seemed interesting,” Paine said of his academic choices, which currently include classes like engineering economics, thermodynamics, physical chemistry and all the associated labs.

Though the Frontier Conference season is demanding on players and coaches, Paine said it’s actually easier to keep up on school work during that time with less travel and fewer days away from classes. The extended non-conference schedule stretching from October to the end of December — with extended road trips — makes a student’s life a bit more difficult.

“It’s tough balancing school with basketball, but the professors have been great. They are very cooperative and they understand our schedule,” Paine said. “It’s important to manage your time well.”

Paine, who was the quarterback for the Senior Bronc football team, said he opted for basketball because the sport was an early love for him. Paine’s father, a successful wrestler who competed for the Iowa Hawkeyes, encouraged his kids to play and compete.

“I played soccer, football, baseball, whatever I wanted to try. Anything I

ON THE COVER

WALTER HINICK / THE MONTANA STANDARD

SENIOR A.J. PAINE dodges a Walla Walla University defender in a December game at Montana Tech. Inset: Tech senior Brianne McClafferty takes a shot.

liked, I got 100 percent support,” Paine said. “Anything you compete in is going to help you in other sports. You’re always learning how to win and finding

See BALL, Page D4

Drive + Determination =

BU-20290216

DIGGER ATHLETICS GO DIGGERS! GOOD LUCK! Mark Moodry President

Phone: 406-565-5626 Cell: 406-490-5377

D4 THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012

Ball ...

Continued from Page D3 how to get along with your teammates.”

Paine and his fellow Orediggers spend a lot of time around each other, and get along well, he said. To a player, the team is a competitive bunch that doesn’t take losing well.

“You can even see it when we’re just playing pick-up in open gym,” Paine said. “You can tell there how competitive everyone is.”

Paine, who is averaging in excess of 12 points per game this season, also leads the Orediggers in assists with 44, and steals with 24 so far. The senior sharpshooter has been successful on 34 percent of his 3-point shots, and has used the long ball to lift the Orediggers to more than one win.

It’s the free throws, though — where Paine has been successful on 92 percent of his shots this season — that have coach Woliczko shaking his head in admiration.

“A.J.’s biggest attribute is his mental toughness,” Woliczko said. “You need that to be able to shoot free throws like he does. He has the ability to step up and hit

MONTANA TECH GUARD A.J. Paine dribbles upcourt during a recent nonconference men’s basketball game against Walla Walla at the Tech HPER Complex.

WALTER HINICK / THE MONTANA STANDARD

the shots when the game is on the line.”

Paine said he spends plenty of time practicing, but attributes his success at the stripe to his ability to stay calm.

“There’s a lot of repetition and muscle memory,” he said. “But you just need to take a deep breath and approach it the same way every time.”

Woliczko smiled and shook his head

at the notion.

“It’s more than that,” he said. “It’s something A.J. just has. There were two games last year where we won because of his ability and mental toughness when he stepped up to the line. We as coaches try, but you can’t teach that.”

With the Orediggers sitting at 2-2 in Frontier Conference play, Paine said he

feels his team has a good shot at success in a “wide-open” league.

“This is maybe the most competitive I’ve seen the conference,” Paine said.

“We have some expectations this season. We feel like we can win every time we’re on the court, especially at home.”

Paine also sees a bright future for the Oredigger program, as he lauded the coaching staff for excellent recruiting.

“If you came to practice, it might be tough to tell who is playing and who is red-shirting,” Paine said. “These guys coming up are that good.”

Paine, who takes his role as a senior leader seriously, said he works hard to lead by example.

“Tyree (Haynie) is our vocal leader,” Paine said. “Cole (Conway) and I don’t say as much, but we try to lead by example.”

“A.J. has worked so hard,” Woliczko said. “It’s going to be something to see what he does when basketball is over and he graduates.”

Paine said he’s not yet sure what he’ll do with the extra available time when his studies are complete, but he has a few ideas.

“Here (at the HPER) or maybe at the K.C., there’s always a game going on somewhere,” he said with a smile.

Our Team Crediting You A Supporting Victory The & Travel Cards Orediggers VISA GiftUseCards Anywhere!

The Club’s outstanding flavor will make your day a winner! www.edtech-fcu.com

Ever duringy Saturday the sea son

$5 Grizarita

1555 Harrison Avenue Butte, MT 59701 (406) 723-8288

Toll Free: 1-800-775-2987 Proudly serving everyone in the COMMUNITY of Butte!

Also in Missoula and Kalispell!

Where there’s Wh h ’ something hi for f everyone.

3540 Harrison s 494-1400

BU-20290202

Open early ‘til late. www.montanaclub.com

Huc be rry Margakrle BloodyitMas and arys

THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012 D5

NAIA Men’s Basketball Division I Top 25 Poll

NAIA Women’s Basketball Division I Top 25 Poll

Team Vote Pts. 1. Shorter (Ga.) (9) 17-0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280 2. Oklahoma Baptist (1) 15-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269 3. Robert Morris (Ill.) (1) 16-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267 4. Southern Poly (Ga.) 13-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240 5. Rogers State (Okla.) 15-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238 6. Concordia (Calif.) 14-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .231 7. Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 14-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224 (tie) Georgetown (Ky.) 15-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224 9. Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 13-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223 10. Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 13-3 . . . . . . . . . .199 11. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 13-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189 12. MSU-Northern 17-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184 13. Texas Wesleyan 12-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169 14. Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 13-4 . . . . . . . . . . . .165 15. Mountain State (W.Va.) 12-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 16. Westmont (Calif.) 13-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133 17. Evangel (Mo.) 14-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132 18. Lee (Tenn.) 11-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126 19. Xavier (La.) 12-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104 20. Campbellsville (Ky.) 13-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102 21. St. Xavier (Ill.) 13-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 22. UM Western 15-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86 23. Cumberland (Tenn.) 12-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 24. Columbia (Mo.) 14-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 25. Tougaloo (Miss.) 14-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Others receiving votes — The Mastern’s (Calif.) 49, FreedHardeman (Tenn.) 43, Oklahoma City 31, Southwest Assemblies of God (Texas) 21, Cal State San Marcos 21, Pikeville (Ky.) 21, Westminster 16, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 10, Missouri Baptist 1, Science & Arts (Okla.) 1, Cumberlands (Ky.) 1, Oklahoma Christian 1, Wiley (Texas) 1, Union (Tenn.) 1, Benedictine (Kan.) 1, Rocky Mountain 1, Life (Ga.) 1.

NOTE — (first-place votes in parentheses).

Team Vote Pts. 1. Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) (11) 15-2 . . . . . . . . . .312 2. Oklahoma City (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199 3. Union (Tenn.) 16-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293 4. Westmont (Calif.) 16-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278 5. Langston (Okla.) 16-0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .273 6. Lee (Tenn.) 16-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257 7. Lewis-Clark State 17-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256 8. Cumberlands (Ky.) 16-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .244 9. Lubbock Christian (Texas) 12-3 . . . . . . . . . . . .225 10. Vanguard (Calif.) 11-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218 11. St. Xavier (Ill.) 13-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215 12. Shawnee State (Ohio) 14-4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212 13. Azusa Pacific (Calif.) 11-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189 14. Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 14-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181 15. Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 13-4 . . . . . . . . . . .174 16. Xavier (La.) 14-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161 17. Campbellsville (Ky.) 13-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149 18. Georgetown (Ky.) 12-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136 (tie) Belhaven (Miss.) 14-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136 20. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 14-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114 21. Westminster 11-6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106 22. Robert Morris (Ill.) 12-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 23. Loyola (La.) 14-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 24. MidAmerica Nazerne (Kan.) 13-5 . . . . . . . . . .81 25. William Woods (Mo.) 11-5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Others receiving votes — Lyon (Ark.) 71, Shorter (Ga.) 63, Columbia (Mo.) 26, Rogers State (Okla.) 26, LSU-Shreveport 13, Avila (Mo.) 10, Rio Grande (Ohio) 4, Park (Mo.) 3, Montana Western 3, Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) 1, Oklahoma Baptist 1, Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 1, Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) 1, St. Catharine (Ky.) 1.

NOTE — (first-place votes in parentheses).

REAL benefits

Goo d Luc Digg k ers!

E R O C S AT

CHECKING & SAVINGS 24/7 WWW.AMERICANFEDERALSAVINGSBANK.COM

REAL banking

50 FORD LANE, BUTTE • 1-888-661-8890 HELENA • TOWNSEND • BUTTE • BOZEMAN

HOURS: M,TH,FRI: 8-7• T,W: 8-6• Sat: 9-6 BU-20290287

D6 THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012

PRESENT THIS FOR A FREE SLICE OF PIE WITH AN ENTREE

GOOD LUCK TECH! 2900 Harrison Ave, Butte • 406-494-2490 BU-20290694

One Coupon per customer

3900 Harrison Ave, Butte 494-3031 • 888-244-3031 www.GMOFBUTTE.com BU-20290281

New Patients Welcome

Erik H. Johnson, DMD GENERAL FAMILY & COSMETIC DENTISTRY Accepting most insurances including Delta & Medicaid BU-20290364

MOST EMERGENCIES SEEN SAME DAY! 1 DOLLAR EMERGENCY EXAM WITH TECH ID 2823 LEXINGTON AVE. • BUTTE, MT 59701

406-494-9300

MONTANA TECH

MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 2011-12 January

6 7 13 14 21 27 28 February 2 4 10 11 13 14 18 23 25 March 1, 3, 5 14-20

Westminster College *& Lewis-Clark State College *& Montana State University-Northern *& University of Great Falls *& University of Montana-Western *& Rocky Mountain College *& Carroll College *& Lewis-Clark State College *& Westminster College *& University of Great Falls *& Montana State University-Northern *& Utah Valley University (Exhibition) Utah State University (Exhibition) University of Montana-Western *& Carroll College *& Rocky Mountain College *& Frontier Conference Tournament NAIA National Tournament

* Frontier Conference Games & Double Header with Women

2011-2012 Player Tyree Haynie Tanner Neumann Bryan Bock Cole Conway Chet Pannabecker Reid Baerlocher AJ Paine Roman Pruneda-Garza Adam Greger Brian Cummings Trent Thompson Brandon Rydberg Daniel Simon

Yr RSSr RSJr So Sr RSFr RSFr Sr Jr Fr RSJr RSFr Fr RSJr

Ht/Wt 5’9/170 6’2/200 6’3/190 6’3/215 6’3/185 5’11/175 6’0/185 6’1/175 6’6/195 6’2/180 6’8/235 6’3/195 6’6/215

Position PG G/F G F G G G PG G/F G F/C G/F F

Head coach: Aaron Woliczko, 2nd season Associate head coach: Patrick O'Herron, 1st season Assistant coach: Chris Stetzner, 1st season

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

8 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

8:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

TBA 7:05 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

8 p.m.

7:30 p.m.

TBA TBA

All Game Times MST

Montana Western men’s roster

Tech men’s basketball roster # 1 3 4 5 20 21 22 23 30 33 34 40 44

Butte, MT Butte, MT Havre, MT Great Falls, MT Butte, MT Butte, MT Butte, MT Lewiston, MT Salt Lake City, UT Butte, MT Butte, MT Orem, UT Logan, UT Dillon, MT Helena, MT Billings, MT TBA Kansas City, MO

2011-2012 Hometown Chico, Calif.

Butte Rialto, Calif.

Butte Choteau Florence Billings Othello, Wash.

Florence Brooklyn, N.Y. Plains Bozeman Ephrata, Wash.

# 3 5 11 12 14 15 21 23 24 25 32 33 34 35

Player Brandon Brown Cedric Clarington Levi Simon JC Isakson Gabe Rucker Jake Owsley Tyler Miller Jordan Overstreet Austin Mailey Kyle Perry Tyler Hurley Bridger Chambers Vince Turk Kyle Erickson

Yr SR JR SO JR SO SO SO FR FR SR SR SR SO SR

Ht/Wt G G G G G P G/P G G P G/P P P G

Head coach: Steve Keller, 5th season Assistant coach: Brett Morehouse, 1st season Assistant coach: Lowell Peterson, 2nd season Assistant coach: Ray Wanty, 2nd season Student assistant: Trent Harrison, 1st season

Position 5-10 6-3 6-0 6-1 6-1 6-8 6-5 6-2 6-0 6-9 6-5 6-6 6-8 6-4

Hometown Tacoma, Wash.

Seattle, Wash.

Whitehall Augusta Bozeman Bozeman Chandler, Ariz.

Three Forks Twin Bridges Riverside, Calif.

Anaconda Stevensville Whitehall Broadview

THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012 D7

MONTANA TECH

THIS TICKET ENTITLES THE BEARER TO

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

ONE FREE APPETIZER w/the purchase of any entree - DINE IN ONLY

AT:

Go Diggers!

2011-2012 January

6 7 13 14 21 27 28

Westminster College* Lewis-Clark State* MSU-Northern* University of Great Falls* Montana Western* Rocky Mountain College* Carroll College*

Butte Butte Havre Great Falls Butte Butte Butte

5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

6 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

February 2 4 10 11 18 23 25

Lewis-Clark State* Westminster College* University of Great Falls* MSU – Northern* Montana Western* Carroll College* Rocky Mountain College*

Lewiston, ID Salt Lake City, UT Butte Butte Dillon Helena Billings

7 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

March

1-3 Frontier Conference Playoffs 14-20 NAIA National Tournament

FULL MENU M NU - LUNCH & DINNER - FULL SPIRITS

BU-20290695

8 W. Park Street, BUTTE • 406-782-5534

Moovin’ With The Diggers!

Good Luck!!

Alana LaRock: 560-1155 Broker, ABR, CRS,WHS See our listings at www.greatdividerealty.com

Ice Cold Beer And Mouth Watering Pizza

Where Digger Fans Are Always Waiting

TBA Frankfort, Kentucky

* Frontier Conference Games # Exhibition Game ~ All game times listed are Mountain Standard Time

BAR 521& R ESTAURANT W. Park • 723-9885

BU-20290365

Western women

1617 Harrison Ave., Butte, MT 59701

Moovin’s On The Job?

Montana Tech women

2011-2012 ROSTER

2011-2012 ROSTER

# Player

Yr

Pos. Ht/Wt

Hometown

# Player

Yr

Ht/Wt Pos.

Hometown

3 4 5 10 11 12 15 23 24 42 50 52

FR SO SO JR FR FR JR JR SR FR JR FR

G G G G G G F G G C C C

Port Orchard, WA Helena,MT Bigfork, MT Burley, ID Bozeman, MT Winnemucca, NV Missoula, MT Helena, MT Lincoln, MT Helena, MT Dillon, MT Bremerton, WA

2 Jessica Sturm 3 Bryn Hasquet 4 Ivana Lacmanovic 14 Dannielle Devenny 20 Brianne McClafferty 22 Lisa Laslovich 23 Kelsey DeWit 24 Shaye Murphy 32 Mandy Machinal 33 Laini Kalumbi 34 Tabitha Tomlinson 44 Erika Jenkins

So So So So Sr So So Jr Fr So Sr Jr

G G G F F G C C G G G C

Roy Missoula Belgrade, Serbia Perth, Australia Butte Anaconda Columbia Falls Riverton, Utah Richland, Wash.

Provo, Utah Puyallup, Wash.

Great Falls

Kelsey Callaghan Sammi Bignell Roxy Thurman Kassi Kerbs Jenna Banks Morgen Thacker Brittney Leibenguth Alecia Wilson Nicole Tams Kaci Matthies Hayley Pettit Breyenne Mosey

5-3 5-10 5-8 5-5 5-3 5-5 5-9 5-11 5-9 6-0 6-2 6-2

Head coach: Cara Cocchiarella, 3rd season Assistant coach: Syd Crosser, 1st season Assistant coach: Lauryn Lynch, 2nd season Student assistant: Alyssa Ladenburg, 1st season

5-9 6-0 5-8 6-0 6-0 5-7 6-2 6-1 5-7 5-8 5-7 6-1

Head coach: Kerie DePell, fifth season Assistant coach: Lindsie Wilson, first season

D8 THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012

Frontier Conference hoops ‘up in the air’

BY PAT RYAN

MONTANA TECH’S ADAM GREGER reaches to defend in a recent nonconference game against Walla Walla on the Kelvin Sampson court at the Montana Tech HPER Complex.

of The Montana Standard

Just two weeks into the Frontier Conference basketball schedule, the overall picture is beginning to gain clarity.

There’s still plenty of time, however, for the picture to come into full focus.

This week’s action will see Montana Tech hosting Montana Western on Saturday, as Westminster will be at Lewis-Clark State the same evening.

On Thursday, Montana State Northern takes on Carroll, while the University of Great Falls is at Rocky Mountain in Billings. The traveling teams swap locations Saturday.

On the men’s side, Northern is the final Frontier team still unbeaten in league play at 3-0. The Lights are 17-2 overall and ranked 12th in the nation after winning their last 11 games.

The Lights downed Tech 62-52, then handed Western its first Frontier loss of the season 63-55 the following evening.

It was Northern head coach Shawn Huse’s 200th win at Havre.

Tech gave the Lights a good run, but after a slow start coming out of a 32-all halftime deadlock, the Orediggers were unable to make up the deficit.

“They’re ranked for a reason,” said Montana Tech head coach Aaron Woliczko. “Shawn’s got his guys playing hard. They’ve got a great offense and defense.”

Woliczko said that No. 22 Western will be a stern test for his 2-2 Orediggers.

“They’re playing very well,” he said.

“Brandon Brown is one of the best — if not the best — players in the conference, but they’ve got other great players in (Tyler) Hurley and (Kyle) Erickson. Their new kid, Cedric Clarington, adds another level at guard for them, and Tyler Miller is a nice shooter at small and power forward.”

Woliczko noted the trouble with attacking Western is the multiple layers of the Bulldogs’ game.

“If you can get around their guards, those posts (Jake) Owsley and (Kyle) Perry are there to sit back and block your shots,” he said. “This is a tough matchup for us.”

The number 68 is key, Woliczko said, explaining that the Bulldogs have been held to 68 or fewer points in each of their five losses this season.

WALTER HINICK / THE MONTANA STANDARD

“We’ll see what we can do on defense and offense to slow them down,” Woliczko said.

Rocky Mountain, whose only loss came via a 3-point decision against Carroll in the teams’ conference opener, has since rebounded and knocked off Lewis-Clark 65-63 and Westminster 84-76.

That was Westminster’s third loss in four games, a situation unforeseen by followers of the league, as the Griffins came into Frontier play ranked 10th in the nation.

Great Falls, an improved team, is still having trouble in the Frontier with an 0-3 start. The Argos dropped a tight 63-62 nod to Northern in the teams’ Frontier tipoff, and have now lost four straight. “Great Falls has as much talent as anyone in the conference,” Woliczko said. “They’re just so athletic.”

Saturday to take on Montana Tech (2-2), as both teams struggle to break above the .500 mark.

“The Frontier is really up in the air right now,” said Montana Tech head coach Kerie DePell. “Any team can beat any other team, and that’s going to make for an exciting season.”

The Orediggers have struggled through some adversity and emerged with a talented young team. Following a key road trip where the Orediggers faced and competed with some nationally ranked teams, DePell noticed a change in her crew.

“I thought that at some point this season we would be competitive,” she said. “I didn’t expect it to come that soon, but we turned a corner on that last trip to California. We showed a good sense of urgency against some very good teams. We can compete.”

In other games this week, Great Falls (1-2) and MSU-Northern (1-2) trade trips to Rocky Mountain (1-2) and winless Carroll (0-3). DePell said it’s too early to generalize much, but noted that every team is tough.

“You can’t take a night off in this conference,” DePell said.

Our Team Supporting Butte’s Orediggers • Title Insurance • Abstracts • Letter Reports • Mining Titles

• Guaranteed Sale & Loan Closing • Long Term Escrows • Survey Inspections

Serving Silver Bow County Since 1902

ON THE WOMEN’S END, Westminster is the team to beat after running to a 4-0 Frontier start. The Griffins are ranked 21 in the NAIA after wins over Tech, Western, Carroll and Rocky.

Westminster takes on seventhranked Lewis-Clark State (3-1) on Saturday. The Warriors saw their lone loss come from a meeting with Montana Western the first night of the season.

The Bulldogs shocked L-C State with a 20-point win in the league opener.

Western (2-2) travels to Butte

Montana Abstractt & Title Companyy 2961 Nevada Butte, Mt 59701

(406)-533-0433 BU-20290225

THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012 D9

Final run a whirlwind for Tams Western women’s lone senior enjoying the ride

BY BRUCE SAYLER of The Montana Standard

Suddenly, senior year arrived.

It’s a good one, too, and so Nicole Tams is trying to help guide the speedy ride while also taking in the sights, such as the 12-5 record that includes a 2-2 Frontier Conference mark.

The last trip around the block also includes a 50 percent shooting rate from the floor, an 11.06 points-per-game average and a 41 percent make mark from 3-point range.

Tams averages 3.35 rebounds, 2.06 assists and 1.35 steals per contest.

Montana Western head women’s basketball coach Cara Cocchiarella described the 5-foot-9 Tams, the team’s only senior, as a great kid.

Perhaps, the coach sees some of

herself in the player.

“Nicole is one of the most competitive people I have ever met and she has the work ethic to back it up,” Cocchiarella said. “She has been a great leader for us as far as effort and intensity is concerned.”

The player has seen as much in the coach.

“Cara hates to lose and we hate it, too,” Tams said.

“She and I are a lot alike.

Both of us hate losing.

“On off-days, we play Tams games and she likes to be on my team because she hates losing, too. She’s still young and so can still play.”

Intensity seems to be a constant companion of the Western women’s team that is preparing this week to play Saturday against Montana Tech at the HPER Complex on the Butte campus.

It is always a key game, weighing

heavier with the coming-of-tradition Digger-Dawg Cup in the offing.

Such does add to a rivalry that really didn’t need much stoking anyway.

Cocchiarella and Tams, though, are happy to dive into the pool.

Tams as been a straight-ahead type in her march to citizenry, anyway,

PROUD TO SUPPORT DIGGER ATHLETICS

BU-20290224

BU-20290213

ADULT GAMING

Sam’s

With any Sandwich!

Gentlemen’s Club & Casino Exit 122

21 & O LDLDER D ER O NLYY

Must present coupon.

Expires 1/31/12

OUTBACK 2.5i

Open 24 Hours!

STK# S17813 • Model# CDA-01 MSRP $24,370 YOUR PRICE

22,990 BUTTE SUBARU 3801 Harrison Ave., Butte, MT 59701 406.494.7076 • 1-866-665-9338 • www.ButteSubaru.net

1803 Harrison Ave., Butte 723-4988 greatharvestbutte.com Monday-friday 6am-6pm; Saturday 6am-5pm

BU-20290285

THE UNTOUCHABLE CAR WASH

2012 Subaru

$

400 East Front • 406-723-4369

FREE k dthre iPun rchase of

Sagebrush

723-4757

See TAMS, Page D10

We’re your g n one-stop party & event i w o r headquarters!

Th rty?

• Heaters • Plates a PaSilverwareTents • Balloons • Streamers & More!

GOOD LUCK OREDIGGERS! OPEN 7 Days a Week 5 pm - 2 am

graduating as one of the first, if not the first, Lincoln High School woman alums to go on to college sports.

She became a starter and plowed through four years of majoring in biology with a related area in pre-professional health care.

Best Car Wash In Town!!

Check Out Out Great Convenience Store!

LISAC’S FOOD, FUEL & FUN TRI-STOP

& GOOD TYMES CASINO 2544 Harrison Butte • 782-9359

BU-20290276

Locally Owned and Operated

D10 THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012

Tams ...

Continued from Page D9 Her drive isn’t only to the basket.

“In high school, I played with a lot of really good girls,” Tams said of her days as a Lynx. “But I guess it wasn’t a passion of theirs to go on and play like it was mine. I’m happy to be really successful here.

“It was a good choice.”

The hard part, academically, is out of the way, Tams said. She has a few electives to finish up for her degree and can devote quite a bit more time to basketball this year, her fifth on campus.

The first year was wiped out, athletically, by stress fractures in her feet. She sat out all but the first game with the injury, gained a medical redshirt and has not been bothered by stress fractures since, despite the pounding on the hardwood nearly daily.

Senior year brought a new role, too.

Tams founder herself looked to as a mentor.

“I’m kind of a big sister (to the younger team members),” she said. “It’s fun being the only senior. I feel like a lot of the young girls are looking up to me.

“We really get to know each other on the bus trips and in our free time. All of us get along really well. We’re always playing games, playing trivia questions, talking to each other.”

This relationship apparently bridges headphones. Tams said the women don’t shut each other out at all, either intentionally or not, and seem more likely to interract than to hole up in their bus seats with self-entertaining electronic gadgets.

Possibly, the mixing of good chemistry has resulted.

“We’ve really come up against the big challenges this year,” Tams said. “We played a lot of tough teams in the pre-conference and won a lot of those games. We have 12 players and our deep bench also plays. We all play pretty well together. It is really fun.

“Not only do we have five starters, but we have six or seven girls on the bench who can come in and do the same things. Cara really pushes those on her bench to really play.”

The offensive intents have been pretty clear, Tams said, but work is needed on the Bulldog defense.

“We’re trying to pick up on our defense,” she said. “It’s been up and down through the season. Great

potential is there but we haven’t tapped into it yet.”

As a guard or small forward, Tams has multiple offensive roles. She is to shoot, if open, look for the 3-point shot and take it if available, and, probably most importantly, feed the entry pass to the post for the inside basket.

“We have really good post players,” she said of teammates Hayley Pettit, Kaci Mattheis and Breyenne Mosey.

“We’re pretty well-rounded — shoot the 3, and, if it’s open in the post, get it in there, too.”

This year’s promising UMW season has been a payoff for patience through a rebuilding effort, Tams said.

“It’s been kind of a rough time the last couple of years,” she said. “Cara started about three years ago and it was a rebuilding year (succeeding the highly successful Kevin Engellant at the helm).

We had a lot of young girls and we lost in the conference a lot.

“Last year, we came toward winning more games, but we were close a lot and didn’t always pull through. “ A recent win over now-seventhranked Lewis-Clark State was inspiring for the Bulldogs, a confidence-builder, too.

The chemistry is in effervescent form.

“This year, we have a lot of young girls who are working hard together,” Tams said. “College basketball is so different from high school basketball.

We’re sitting third in the conference and had a big win over Lewis-Clark State a couple weeks ago.

“They’re high up in the country in the rankings and we’re looking to get ranked here, too, if we can knock off a couple other teams.”

Tams is 23 years old and thinking about what might happen for her after college basketball. She has applied to dental hygiene schools around the country.

Montana would be a good place to stay, she agreed, but not a requirement.

She also might want to coach, stay connected to the game in some way.

“It’s gone by really fast,” she said.

“When I first came here as a freshman, I thought it was going to take me forever.”

Some unfinished business remains.

“I’m about 100 away from 1,000 shots for a career,” she said. “I’d like to be all-conference.

“And, as a team, it would be awesome to make it to nationals my senior year, and to get a conference championship.”

PROUD TO BE A SPONSOR OF OREDIGGER ATHLETICS!

Good Luck Orediggers Make Butte Proud Kenison Technical Services, Inc. 20 N. Wyoming St • Butte, MT • 782-5405 BU-20290222

BU-20290376

Best Tire Price • Best Service When You Buy Tires at Lisac’s Always!

HOME OF THE ORIGINAL PORK CHOP SANDWICH make it a combo!

FREE Mounting • FREE Balancing • FREE Rotations • FREE Flats • FREE Tire Inspection • FREE Alignment Check Lisac’s Tire

Montana Muffler

2109 Yale • Butte • 782-4294

41 S Montana • Butte 782-9108

American Car Care Center

Lisac’s Tire of Anaconda

3600 Harrison • Butte • 494-4450

1100 W. Park St • 563-6110

1805 Meadowlark • (406) 723-3239 • 'We Care'

GO !

DIGGERS

BU-20290288

2400 Harrison • 782-1783 8 W. Mercury • 782-0812

THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012 D11

BU-20290684

D12 THE MONTANA STANDARD, BUTTE, SATURDAY, JANUARY 21, 2012

GREAT SAVINGS FOR THE NEW YEAR! SANSUI 19�LED TV

SOFT PILLOW BACK SOFA

399

$

Matching Love Seat $349

Big game big deal!

Buy a LCD TV from Steele’s and get a

499

$

DARK LEATHER LOOK SOFA

$

FULLY RECLINING SOFA Matching Love Seat $549

599

$

159

HAIER 32� LCD TV

$

799

$

2 PC SECTIONAL

2 PC CHAISE SECTIONAL

1,099

$

299

FREE*

$ MICROFIBER RECLINER

229

$

LA Z BOY RECLINERS

$

299

LA Z BOY ROCKERR $ RECLINER

299

$

42� ALMOST BLACK TV CART

319

$

STONEY CREEK 56�

ENTERTAINMENT STAND

$

399

RUSTIC OAK & TILE 62�

ENTERTAINMENT CENTER

$

3/-% )4%-3 ./4 %8!#4,9 !3 3(/7. !,, )4%-3 35"*%#4 4/ 34/#+ /. (!.$

If you been hearing about how amazing Blu-ray entertainment is, You’ve heard right. The thing is, you need 1080p Full HD to get the most out of both. With the LK450, you can.

LG 50�

PLASMA TV 50PT350

699

499

BUTTE 3 7YOMING s DEER LODGE -AIN s /R #ALL 4OLL &REE WWW 3TEELES&URNITURE COM BU-20290369

599

399

$

NATURAL BIRCH TV STAND

L32F1120 This 32 LCD HDTV from Haier is the perfect centerpiece to your home theater Multiple AV inputs make connecting a variety of high deďŹ nition devices like a cable or satellite box Blu-ray player or game console easier than ever

LG 42�

LCD TV 42LK450

Domino’s or Papa y Pizza Party!

Murphy’s

*MINIMUM PURCHASE 499.00 AND ABOVE.

SLED1928 The SLED1928 features a super slim LED display that can be placed virtually anywhere in your home. LED technology features a stunning picture quality, a wide range of colors, and an incredible range of brightness.

LED technology also features a signiďŹ cantly lower use of electrical energy.

This 720p TV features a 600Hz sub-ďŹ eld drive, giving it the ability to handle even the quickest action with so much as a stutter. It’s also capable of 1:1 pixel matching on sources up to 1080p It has three USB ports, so you can easily enjoy all of your own media with the PT350.

TOSHIBA 55�

LCD TV 55G310U Catapult your

$

1,099

living room into the realm of HD home theater with Full HD 1080p! Thanks to ClearFrame 120Hz processing, this LCD HDTV delivers even fastaction sports and movies with exceptionally lifelike, uid motion. 3 HDMI inputs, a PC, and a gaming mode.