Wesley Hagar
Student Sports Media
Monday, Feb. 10 was a special night for both basketball teams, as it was Pack the Power Plant Night. Pack the Power Plant Night is a big deal around Butler because it helps those who have survived and those of families that have lost family members to cancer.
That night, Student Government Association (SGA) members sold T-shirts, which were $2 and the money they made from selling T-shirts and in donations went to the Butler CC student cancer fund. This fund is to help students who are battling a disease or one of their family members. Some of the donations will also be sent to St. Jude and Susan G. Komen organizations.
That night was a big night with both teams wearing Pack the Power Plant shirts when they were warming up. All the coaches that night had them on as well, alongside the Spirit Squad who wore them in support of cancer awareness.
Many people came out to both games to show their support to both teams, but as well as to help fight against cancer. People walked around with their T-shirts on showing that they are helping the cause to help people fight against cancer.
“It’s huge that Butler does this every year and makes it meaningful,” Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Daven Vo said. “It brings a lot of awareness to our guys and makes them remember those who are affected. It’s just an awesome event.”
The women’s basketball teams came out strong with a 3-point basket from Zayda Perez, freshman point guard, to give the Grizzlies the first lead of the game. The biggest lead difference for the Grizzlies was six points in the first quarter. They kept the lead in the second quarter only by two points going into halftime with the score 26-24.
The last time the Grizzlies had the lead was at the four-minute mark in the third quarter. After that, the Grizzlies’ defense started to crumble in the third quarter and into the fourth. They made a small comeback into the fourth, but every time they made a basket, Independence answered and the Grizzlies were unable to make a comeback with the final score a loss, 68-60.
Instead, the men’s team came out fighting and stayed strong the whole time, beginning the game with an 8-0 lead early in the first half. Everyone on the team that was out on the court that night was able to contribute with either a steal, a block or a basket.
The whole second half for the Grizzlies was just a domination with N’Dongo Ndaw, sophomore center, ending the night with a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds. There were also five players for Butler that scored double digits, with the men’s team shooting a season-high of 64.8% from the field. The final score was 97-79, as the Grizzlies pushed past the Independence Pirates. With this win, the Grizzlies have reached an overall record of 20-6, the first time they have reached 20 wins since the 2014-2015 season.
