The Butler women's basketball teams run at a national championship was cut short Monday night as they fell to Otero Junior College 74-67 in the opening round of the NJCAA Div. I Women's National Basketball tournament.
The loss caps off a 20-4 season for the Grizzlies, a season that will never be forgotten with all of the challenges and adversity faced with playing and competing through a pandemic.
It was a grind all night with 17 lead changes and five ties throughout the game, something you would expect in a national tournament game with everything on the line.
Butler jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter hitting 3-4 from behind the arc and had an eight-point lead when starting guard Skyla Knight went down with an injury. The momentum was sucked from the Grizzlies and the Rattlers made a late run to cut the Grizzly lead in half by the end of the quarter with Butler leading 22-18.
"You don't plan for something like that," said head coach Mike Helmer. "Losing Skyla put us in a funk we couldn't fully recover from the rest of the game."
The second quarter is where the Rattlers found their groove. They hit 4-9 from behind the arc while keeping the Grizzlies to 31% shooting in the quarter. Otero went on a 10-point run to take their first lead of the game and appeared to be taking the lead into the break but a three-pointer by Riley Hett at the buzzer gave the Grizzlies a 36-34 lead at the half.
Otero stayed hot from the outside making 4-9 again in the third quarter outscoring the Grizzlies by three in the quarter and carried a one-point, 57-56 lead into the final 10-minutes of play.
The fourth quarter was back and forth with both teams fighting for a lead large enough to hold. Both teams led by as many as four points in the quarter but two free throws from Emma Florez knotted the game up at 67-67 with 1:31 to play. Butler had a few opportunities late but two missed free throws and two turnovers under a minute to play forced the Grizzlies to foul. Otero went 7-8 from the free throw line in the final minute and ended Butler's season 74-67.
Tamara Nard finished her career as a Grizzly with 16 points and nine rebounds with three steals. Skyla Knight, who left the game late in the first quarter, finished with seven points and two assists. Paris Mullins, Cymirah Williams, Kaylee Nero, Mekayla Furman, Syncere Harrod and Riley Hett all finished with six points in the game. Mullins had seven boards while Furman chalked up five steals.
Both teams struggled to control the ball with each team recording 28 turnovers in the game. Butler shot 38% from the floor and 37% from behind the arc while the Rattles connected on 42% of their shots from the floor and were 12-32, 38% from deep. They made 18-22 free throws, 9-10 in the final quarter to help seal their win.
With the opening round loss, Butler finishes the season sooner than they wanted but have a lot to hang their hat on this year and be proud of. In a year that was full of uncertainty and doubt, a year that threw all the challenges possible their direction, the Grizzlies found a way to fight and claw their way back to the National Tournament. They won the KJCCC East for the third straight season and placed four players on the All-Conference team. Head coach Mike Helmer was named Coach of the Year for the third straight season and the Grizzlies made the programs fourth National Tournament appearance, all under head coach Helmer.
With the season being extended into April, the Grizzlies won't have as much time as normal to focus on this past season and can start preparing for next fall.
"I am ready to get back to our normal routine," said head coach Mike Helmer. "It has just been a hard year all around for everyone. This team has been through a lot, we have all been through a lot but will learn from this and be better for it next year."
