Basketball Recap: Isaiah Keys Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat East Mecklenburg

Butler posted their closest victory since February 23, 2024 on Friday. They had just enough and edged the East Mecklenburg Eagles out 40-37. The 40-point effort marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Butler got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Isaiah Keys out in front who posted ten points. Those ten points gave Keys a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Reece Starnes, who earned six points and seven rebounds.

East Mecklenburg's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Nixon Wright, who went 5 of 8 on his way to 10 points and eight rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Buzzard, who had six points along with nine rebounds and three blocks.

Butler's victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-5. As for East Mecklenburg, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 8-4.

Butler didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next match, a 58-56 loss against Rocky River on the 7th. As for East Mecklenburg, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 56-47 defeat against Weddington on the 7th.