Butler outlasts Karns City 46-36 in season finale
KARNS CITY — To be at the top of your game, you’ve got to play teams that will test you.
Butler certainly did that to Karns City on Monday night as the Gremlins dropped a 46-36 contest just three days from their playoff opener.
“This game wasn’t designed on the schedule to be a playoff primer, but that’s what it ended up being,” Karns City coach Steve Andreassi said. “This was a good game to get us some inspiration and intensity, and it sure did that.”
As soon as the ball was tipped, the energy on the court matched that of the crowd watching the game. Butler struck first with an Avery Maier three-point shot, but the Lady Gremlins answered right back with a three-point field goal of their own, Hanna Dailey her first of four first half three-point field goals to knot things up.
“As far as the game is concerned, man, they’re good. They’re a sticky team, they play good defense, and the crowd was fired up,” Butlercoach Mark Maier said. “We didn’t play our A-game and Karns City had a lot to do with that, but we were still able to pull out a win.”
The Golden Tornado quickly jumped out to a 7-3 lead before Dailey hit two more three-pointers to give Karns City its first advantage in the game. It lasted all of one possession before Butler finished the first quarter on a 6-2 run.
The second quarter opened with the Gremlins forcing a trio of turnovers, which resulted in Karns City’s final lead of the game. Despite being outscored 13-12 in the second quarter, Butler went into the half with a three-point edge.
Coming out in the second half, it was clear that Butler put an emphasis on the defensive end to stop Karns City from getting the open looks it had through the first 16 minutes of action.
“We went with a 2-1-2 extended zone, and I thought that gave them some problems,” Maier said. “Against that defense, it’s hard to get a good opening and it makes them make extra passes.”
On the offensive side, things started to click for Butler as Sydney Patterson and Ameila McMichael combined for 11 points to put Butler up six.
The Golden Tornado allowed just nine points in the third period of play. But Karns City felt as if it shot itselfBUTLER 46
in the foot, especially down the stretch.
“It was a matter of finishing tonight, and we didn’t finish some shots in the paint,” Andreassi said. “I give credit to their defense, but we missed so many open shots and it turned out to be the difference in the game.”
In the final quarter, both teams combined to score just ten points and Butler bled the clock out with just three total possessions in the last 4:05 of action. The final possession of the game was a minute and a half long, but Maier wishes it wasn’t the final minute they would play this season.
“I’m definitely going to mope around the house for the next two weeks, because I wish we were still playing,” Maier said. “That being said, I’m super fulfilled and it’s not all about wins and losses all the time, and they didn’t let any of the wins and losses define them this year, so I couldn’t be any prouder.”
BUTLER 46
Amelia McMichael 6 3-4 16, Sydney Patterson 3 2-4 8, Malina McElroy 2 2-4 6, Avery Maier 2 6, Jessica Chwalik 1 2-2 5, Camryn Booher 1 3, Ashton Huff 1 2. Totals: 16 914 46.
KARNS CITY 36
Hanna Dailey 5 0-0 14, Brooklynn Taylor 3 3-3 10, Naomi Venesky 4 0-1 8, Savanna Prescott 2 4. Totals: 14 3-4 36.
Karns City 11 13 9 3—36
Butler 15 12 15 6—46
3-point field goals: Butler 5 (A. Maier 2, C. Booher 1, A. McMichael 1, J. Chwalik 1). Karns City 5 (H. Dailey 4, B. Taylor 1).
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