Butler Men advance to Region VI Championship after thrilling win over top seeded Dodge City

Story by Kalon Fullerton

The Butler Grizzlies advanced to the Region VI Championship game with a thrilling 80-77 victory over the top seeded Dodge City Conquistadors at Garvey Center on the campus of Friends University in downtown Wichita, Kansas in the Region VI semifinal game on Friday.

After Dodge City started the game with an 8-2 run, Butler responded. The Grizzlies used a scorching first half to extend their lead to as many as 10 in the first half. After a cold start, the Grizzlies heated up from beyond the three point line, hitting 6 of their first 16 attempts from beyond the arc. Butler also forced seven turnovers, and took a 33-31 lead into the halftime interval. 

The Grizzlies erupted in the second half, starting on a 20-7 run. Dodge City roared back, clawing to within four multiple times and finally tying the game at 75. A Rob Brown tip-in gave the Grizzlies the lead with 1:03 left in the second half and an Isaiah Williams block gave Butler the chance to salt the game away at the line, but two missed free throws gave the Conquistadors the chance to tie, but a strip steal by Rob Brown at the buzzer proved to be decisive as Butler was able to run out the clock for the victory.

Four different Grizzly players scored in double digits, led by Grant's 22 points, which matched a season high when he scored 22 points against the Northwest Tech Mavericks. Also finishing with double digits was Rob Brown, who scored 16, Tahjae Hill, who came off the bench to score 14, and Isaiah Willaims who scored 12. 

The Grizzlies shot 43% as a team from the field, and finished the day at 47% from the three point line, as their 11 three point makes was their highest tally from three this season. Butler was almost perfect from deep in the second half, hitting five of their seven attempts. The Grizzlies also dominated inside, scoring 32 points in the paint, and rattled off eight second chance points. The Grizzlies were also helped by 17 bench points,

Butler forced 15 turnovers and they were able to turn those takeaways into 14 points. Treylon Payne led the Grizzlies with two steals, and the team totaled five. The Grizzlies were outrebounded but were led by Isaac Ondekane, who finished with nine rebounds on the glass. The Grizzlies were also helped by seven blocks, tying a season high. The Grizzlies notched seven blocks two other times this season, against Cowley and Dodge in the regular season. Williams earned a season high three rejections. 

Butler avenges their earlier two losses against Dodge City in the regular season and they move to 23-8 on the year. The Grizzlies advance to the Region VI championship for the second time in Kyle Fisher's four year tenure, with the last coming in the 2019-20 season, when the Grizzlies lost in the final game in a heartbreaker to Coffeyville in Dodge City. Butler could potentially see a rematch of that final game as they'll face either the Red Ravens or the Barton Cougars in the title game on Saturday. Butler swept the season series against the second seeded Ravens this season, but split the season series against the third seeded