The Butler Grizzlies outlasted the Barton Cougars to finish the fall semester and the 2021 year with a 60-59 slugfest in Great Bend on Monday.
The game was an offensive struggle. The Grizzlies shot just 29%, including 5-23 from the field in the first half. That sluggish start led to the Cougars leading by as many as twelve points in the first half, as Barton led the entire 20 minutes. The Grizzlies were kept in the game with free throws, shooting 10-14 from the line, cutting the lead to single digits going into the locker room.
After the break, the Grizzlies came out much hotter. Butler went on a 7-0 run to start the half, as they tied the game immediately. Butler shot 46% during the second half, led by Marque English who scored 13 points in the second after just two in the first as Butler took the lead for the first time in the second half off two English free throws just under seven minutes left to go. A back and forth affair, the Grizzlies had to claw back from a 58-53 deficit and took a five point lead themselves with a Jaden Okon layup. The Cougars had two free throws with less than three seconds to go with a chance to win it, down by one point, but missed both, and the Grizzlies managed to escape with the one point win intact.
The Grizzlies, ranked 21st in the nation after Monday's polls, improved to 11-3 and 6-3 in conference play. After dropping two straight road games, the Grizzlies picked up a key victory away from home to improve to 3-3 away from the Power Plant.
It was another game where the Grizzlies were carried by their starters for a team that is currently shorthanded on the bench because of injuries to Caleb Golden and Isiah Williams. Butler found just eight bench points but three starters finished with double figures. English led the team with 15 points and was joined by Eden Holt, who scored 13, and Jaden Okon, who finished with 12. In a game where not much happened on the offensive side of the ball, the Grizzlies starred on the free throw line, making 20 free throws. The Grizzlies also found 10 second chance points, as they narrowly won the rebounding margin for the game, 43-41.
The Grizzly defense kept the team in the game while the offense could not find their rhythm. Barton finished 36% from the field and the Grizzlies stifled the Cougs to the tune of just 2-17 from beyond three point range. The Grizzlies also held Barton to just two second chance points. The Grizzlies were led on the boards by English, Keyon Thomas, and Shawn Warrior, who all finished with seven. The game was a homecoming of sorts for Warrior, who spent last year in Great Bend for the Cougars before transferring to El Dorado.
The Grizzlies end the semester, and 2021, in the win column. The Grizzlies will return, opening up 2022 with a game on January 4th with a game against Bethel College.
