Butler Student Sports Media
Despite an early lead, the Butler men’s basketball team fell to Hutchinson 109-82 on Wednesday, Dec. 7. A game was blown open off a 9-0 run mid first half. Butler trailed by as many as 41 in the game as the Blue Dragons stayed undefeated and the Grizzlies fell to 7-4 overall. Redshirt freshman Johnnathan Lindsey led the Grizzlies with 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Sophomores Semaj Hervery and Will Adler both had 11 points.
The Grizzlies men fell in overtime 93-82 to Cloud County Community College on Sunday, Dec. 11. Butler never trailed in the second half, but Jacobly Harris fouled Deon Lyle with 14 seconds left to tie game at 77-all. Harris fouled out at the start of overtime and the Thunderbirds went on a run. Harris led Butler with 24 points. Bouchum and Lindsey had 15 points each and freshman Hardy added 10 points. Butler fell to 7-5 heading into the Christmas break.
On Wednesday, January 4, The Butler men’s basketball team broke out in a big way, defeating the Pratt Beavers 122-82. The Grizzlies got out to a large lead early and never looked back, racking up 61 points in the first half. Freshman Bouchum led the way with 23 points, a career high for him, as well as big contributions from Lindsey with 20 points, and Ken Perkins chipping in 18 points of his own. Butler also shot a season high 62.5 percent from the floor, completing 45 out of 72 shot attempts. At the conclusion of the game, the Grizzlies improved to 8-5 overall on the season, and even at 5-5 in conference play.
The Grizzly men continued their winning ways in 2017 as they took down Coffeyville 82-73 on the road at Nellis Hall on Saturday Jan. 7. Butler ended the first half on a role and continued that into the second half to prevail them to victory. The win for the Grizzlies is just the second time that the men have won at Nellis Hall in 10 seasons. The Grizzlies had five players score in double figures led by Harris’ 19.
The Grizzly men shot lights out from downtown against the Neosho County Panthers Wednesday, Jan. 11, in El Dorado. The Grizzlies improved to a three game win streak after beating Neosho 108-79. Adler led the way for the Grizzlies with 30 points after making eight threes on the night. LaJuan Hardy helped out with 26 points of his own. The team shot 50 percent from the floor and had 29 points off turnovers. The Grizzlies will take on the Panthers again Saturday Feb. 25 in Chanute.
The Butler men’s basketball team came into the game against Garden City looking for revenge. They wanted to avenge their last game in Garden City as they lost 105-82. It has been considered one of their worst losses of the season,and they did not disappoint when they met again on Wednesday Jan. 18. The Grizzlies have been feeling it from beyond the arc and that did not stop against Garden as they shot 36 percent from deep in a 104-92 rout.
A seven-point deficit was nothing as Grizzly Men used a 14-2 run to take over the Saints and never trail again. Butler led 47-43 at half. Freshman guard Hardy scored 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting. Freshman LeDarrian Burney drained a three-pointer with 13:58 left in the second half to put Butler up by double digits for the first time 64-52. Butler led by as many as 17 in the second half. Adler nailed five three-pointers, scoring 17 points. The Grizzlies won their fifth straight and improved to 12-5 overall.
Butler’s hopeful for a second-half comeback on the road at Colby came up short in a 73-64 loss. The Grizzly men trailed by as many as 20 in the contest and pulled within four with 2:30 remaining in the game, but could not get the breaks they would need to grab the win. The loss ended the Grizzlies five-game win streak and gave them their first loss in 2017. Freshman LaDarrian Burney provided a spark off of the Grizzlies bench, knocking down five three-pointers and ended with a game-high and career-high 22 points off of the bench.