Five Takeaways: Butler at Sidney
Tuesday night was a sellout in Sidney as the Yellow Jackets battled the Butler Aviators with a share of the GWOC North title on the line. After a lopsided first half, both teams evened out in the second half, with…
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Continue ReadingTuesday night was a sellout in Sidney as the Yellow Jackets battled the Butler Aviators with a share of the GWOC North title on the line. After a lopsided first half, both teams evened out in the second half, with Butler taking care of business 47-41 on the road. The win was a huge victory for a Butler team that avenged their loss earlier in the season to Sidney on their home floor. The win also solidified Butler did belong as the #3 seed over #4 Sidney as there was controversy as to whether the Yellow Jackets deserved to be seeded above the Aviators in the sectional draw. Below are my five takeaways from the game.
Butler came out with some serious fire
The Aviators came out playing like they wanted a GWOC title while Sidney came out sluggish. Second chance points were piling up for the Aviators as they jumped out to a 15-2 lead after the 1st Quarter. Sidney’s defense was not prepared for the offensive barrage Butler would start off with. In addition, Sidney could not get a single shot to fall as their first points did not occur until Gordon knocked down free throws late in the quarter.
Sidney responded with a strong offensive showing
After the sluggish quarter, Sidney was finally able to get some points beyond the free throw line and responded by taking a 22-21 lead into halftime. Andre Gordon (2019) found ways to get to the rim as did Ratez Roberts (2019) as the Yellow Jackets also lured Butler into plenty of foul situations as Sidney was in the double bonus early in the half.
Butler’s halftime adjustments paid off
After allowing Sidney to take back the lead, Butler came out in the 2nd half in a 2-3 zone which caused many problems for the Sidney offense. The Yellow Jackets, who average 65 points per game, were held to 19 points in the 2nd half and never got back into a groove. Although Gordon got to the rim with ease, he never consistently attacked, as he rather passed up on scoring opportunities due to his unselfish play. As a result, guys like Darren Taborn (2020) and Josiah Hudgins (2019) tried to help Roberts and Gordon in the scoring column, but never got going either. The offense was stagnant and could not get into the paint besides when Gordon dribble drived.
Some under the radar guys stepped up for both teams
Braedon Norman (2019) and Bryant Johnson (2019) played great games in their final regular season meeting with Sidney in their high school careers. Norman had the green light to shoot all night and knocked down 4 of 6 3PT shots, finishing with a team high 18 points. He demanded defenders to extend their pressure near the volleyball line which opened up plenty of gaps in the Yellow Jacket defense. Johnson was tasked with face guarding Andre Gordon early in the game, but played at the bottom of the 2-3 in the 2nd half and helped slow down Ratez Roberts in the paint. His athleticism and size created problems all over the floor throughout the night. Tyler Montague (2021) for Butler and Lathan Jones (2020) from Sidney impressed me during the night as well.
Butler isn’t done yet and Sidney isn’t out yet
The win secures the Aviators have clinched a share of the GWOC North title. The Aviators will clinch an outright title if they defeat Tippecanoe on Friday night. Butler defeated the Red Devils earlier in the year and will be the favorites. Sidney faces off against a winless Greenville team in their regular season finale. If the Aviators were to fall and Sidney win, the two would split a GWOC title instead of outright. Another concern is Butler playing without point guard Michael Kreill (2019) for the second straight game. Although the Aviators took care of business Tuesday night, there is no doubt having Kreill will play a huge role going forward.