Butler’s Julius Rusk did his damage attacking the rim, scoring 17 points to lead the Aviators to a 42-36 win. (Press Pros Feature Photos)
Not a thing of beauty, and a game that featured missed opportunities and lost possessions. But Butler did just enough at the end to remain unbeaten with a 42-36 win over Tipp.
Vandalia, OH – Iconic coach at the University of Texas, Pan American, and Oklahoma City, Abe Lemons, once characterized a particularly sloppy win this way to a reporter.
“We didn’t play that good,” Lemons cracked. “They just did more to lose it than we did.”
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And somehow Andy Holderman’s Butler Aviators reprised that Lemons observation Tuesday with a 42-36 win over Tipp in a game that characterized a lot of the things that help you lose.
Shot selection…
Impatience…
Turnovers…
Rebounding…
Free throw shooting…
Inability to finish at the rim…
You get the idea. 9-8, Tipp, at the end of the first quarter, the Red Devils came out firing threes, mysteriously, and missed their first five shots of the game.
Physical…Butler’s Tavarcia Green is whistled for charging in the first half of Tuesday night’s game with Tipp.
“That was all we talked about leading up to this week,” said Tipp coach Brock Moon. “We had to call a timeout to make the point again. Don’t settle, be aggressive, and get to the foul line.”
But in a 6-point game, his warning might have come too late. Tipp finished 6 of 16 for the game from three-point range, which makes you wonder about how many missed opportunities there were due to poor shot selection?
“And I don’t think we’ve shot well here, ever,” Moon added after the game. “And that’s a mental hurdle to acknowledge when you come in and shoot five contested three like that in the opening two minutes.”
Butler’s Andy Holderman’s hair is cut close for a reason. If it were longer he might have pulled it out in clumps, as his Aviators frittered away some of the same opportunities by playing too fast, turning the ball over, and missed shots at the rim that signaled lack of focus.
“Two things have to happen when you’re five feet from the rim,” Piqua coach Dave Zeller once said. “You either put the ‘fricker in the hole or you get to the line.”
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The Aviators weren’t doing either, shooting just 24% for the first half…and not getting to the line at all. Tipp’s Preston Zumwalt and Jackson Davis put the wraps around center Julius Rusk, physically buffeting him every time he touched the ball. Rusk would score just 8 points for the half, and 6 of Butler’s total of 9 points in the second quarter.
Yet, Tipp let them off the hook while maintaining a 19-18 lead at the end of the half with one missed shot after another from point-blank range. And worse, Tipp’s CJ Bailey, their best ball handler, would leave the game three minutes before halftime with an apparent knee injury. He would not return.
Value the possession…Tipp’s Colin Turner slaps the basketball away from Butler’s Tavarcia Green.
In a game that had no flow or rhythm, the lead changed hands four times in the third quarter, with Butler taking the lead twice on stickbacks when Tipp failed to box out on offensive rebounds. And trailing 29-27, a sloppy turnover allowed Butler to create some separation with 4 points over the final two minutes of the quarter. They led 31-27 to begin the fourth.
Enter Preston Zumwalt, who didn’t score at all in the first half…yet ignited in the second to keep Tipp close with 5 points in the third, scored 6 of his team-high 11 points in the fourth to tie at 31-31, then gave Tipp its final lead at 33-31 with a pair of free throws.
But that wasn’t near enough, as the lack of focus and fundamental basketball cost them over the final four minutes.
“We’re down 2 and miss a free throw boxout where they score and go up 4,” said Moon. “That’s a huge thing because they miss both free throws and we miss an opportunity like that.”
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Butler, for their part, kept putting the ball in the hands of Rusk, who rebounded from a fractious first half to bull his way to the rim four 9 second half points, and 4 in the final two minutes. He did get to the foul line in the process…only to hit 1 of 6 attempts.
Butler finished shooting 37% from the floor, and 6 of 16 (37.5%) from the foul line. Rusk led them with 17 points, followed by Tavarcia Green’s 9, and Toby Moore and Charles Neely each had 4.
Tipp shot 36% from the floor, 6 of 16 from three-point, and just 4 of 6 attempts from the foul line. Preston Zumwalt led them with 11 points, CJ Bailey had 10 before leaving the game, AJ Jergens had 6, and Ronnin LaBreck, Colin Turner, and Jackson Davis finished with 3 each.
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Andy Holderman knew he’d dodged a bullet.
“Both teams were trying to push the ball, it was a hype game, too…kids were trying to make plays,” he acknowledged. “The hustle was there, but the thinking process wasn’t. We got ahead of ourselves.
“But both teams did the same thing and we were just fortunate enough to come out with the win.”
And out of the the notice of everyone, Butler Charles Neely scored just 4 points, but fortunately every time his team needed a moment to calm and regroup, the ball somehow found its way in his hands…an unsung hero for what he didn’t do. He just kept the lid on the pot.
“I just tried to keep calm and my composure,” he said. “Things were gettin’ wild. And winning this one will make us more confident going in to the second half of the season. Helps us to keep rollin’.”
They’ll play Tipp again on the final night of the regular season, February 14, when Andy Holderman and Brock Moon both hope to play better. Chances are they will.
And if not then…when?
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