PARK CITY, Kan. – The Butler women had their season come to an end with a 74-61 loss to Seward County in the Region VI quarterfinals at Hartman Arena on Tuesday.
The Grizzlies finish the season at 24-8, their fourth straight year with 24 or more wins.
Butler led Seward 6-3 early on after 3-pointers by Kyeria Hannah and Nia Roberts. Seward would lead 15-10, but Butler finished the quarter on an 8-2 run and led 18-17 at the break, taking the lead on a 3-pointer by Tamara Lee.
Butler would take a 26-25 lead after a Raven Prince basket with 4:56 left in the second quarter, but Seward would make consecutive 3-pointers to trigger a 14-1 run. Butler would get two free throws from Janee Arnold to finish the half, but the Grizzlies trailed 39-29 at the break.
Seward twice pushed the lead to 14 points in the third quarter and led 53-44 going to the final period.
Butler would get as close as seven points in the fourth quarter, the latest at 57-50 after a Kyeria Hannah basket with 7:41 left. Seward then scored six straight points to push the lead back to 13 and Butler would get no closer than nine the rest of the way.
Tamara Lee led Butler with 14 points and Kyeria Hannah added 13. Nakylia Carter scored nine and Janee Arnold scored eight. Joanna Grymek, at 6-foot-7 inches, scored 23 points for Seward, while Daneila Galindo scored 18. Axelle Bernard had eight points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots.