Sean Boston
Student Sports Media
The Butler women kept their winning ways alive as they picked up their 10th win in 11 games with a 96-58 route of Neosho County on Sat., Feb. 27.
The Grizzlies and Panthers were tied at five apiece early on, but Butler would go on an 8-0 and step up their intense defense throughout the remainder of the first quarter. Butler led 22-10 after the first quarter, ending the quarter on a 17-5 run.
Butler kept the intensity up up in the second quarter, doubling the Panthers 40-20 at one point. Neosho wouldn’t quit though, going on a 10-3 run towards the end of the first half as Butler took a 43-30 lead to half.
The Grizzlies dominated the second half and put the pedal down on the offensive side, as well as forcing multiple Panther turnovers in the final 20 minutes. Butler outscored Neosho 29-17 in the third quarter and 24-11 in the final 10 minutes to cruise to another victory. The Grizzlies shot 59 percent from the field in the second half, improving 11 percent from the first half.
Sophomores Nakylia Carter and Kyeria Hannah led the Grizzlies scoring with 16 points apiece, while the remaining three starters all scored in double figures. The Grizzlies dominated down low, Butler scored 47 points in the paint, while Neosho had just 12.
“I liked our intensity,” Butler Coach Mike Helmer said. “We came out and started slow, but were able to take advantage of their mistakes and we did a nice job of sharing the ball the entire night. I’ve got a lot of girls on the team that can shoot the ball and when they’re open they can make them.”
The Butler men picked up their second win after dropping six straight with a 114-77 thrashing of the Neosho Panthers in Chanute on Sat., Feb. 27.
The Grizzlies continued to have multiple products score, as they would have six players score in double figures in the victory. The Butler offense was led by sophomore Johnnathan Lindsey’s 18 points. Freshman Antferene Adams scored a career-high 17 points off of the Grizzlies bench in the win.
Butler never trailed in the game and led by as many as 43 in the second half, as everything was going right for the Grizzlies offense. The Grizzlies shot a hot 56 percent from the field, including 14 three-pointers.
Lindsey made two free throws with about six minutes remaining to put the Grizzlies over the century mark for the sixth time this season. The Grizzlies also shot well from the foul line, knocking down 28 of 36 (77 percent). Butler did a nice job of sharing the ball as well, assisting on 24 of the 36 made field goals.
“Coming off of the win on Wednesday gave us a lot of confidence moving forward,” Miller said. “Our guys believe they can compete with anyone in the conference, and when we’re shooting the ball well like we did tonight, then we usually come out on top.”
