Basketball Game Preview: Butler Bulldogs vs. Garinger Wildcats

The Butler Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the Garinger Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Butler has five straight victories, Garinger has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Butler will bounce into Friday's game after beating Independence, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. Butler blew past Independence 71-18 on Friday. The Bulldogs have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 12 matchups by 22 points or more this season.

Hannah Moss was her usual excellent self, going 8 of 16 on her way to 20 points along with seven rebounds and seven steals. She is on a roll when it comes to steals, as she's now grabbed three or more in the last five games she's played. Chloe Ross was another key player, almost dropping a double-double on 12 points and nine boards.

Butler smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in nine consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Garinger ended up a good deal behind Indian Land on Saturday and lost 37-22. While losing is never fun, the Wildcats can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' basketball rankings in their respective home states (they are ranked 512th in North Carolina, while the Warriors are ranked 148th in South Carolina).

Butler's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-1. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 26.5 points per game. As for Garinger, their loss dropped their record down to 3-13.

Everything came up roses for Butler against Garinger in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, as the squad secured a 76-12 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Butler since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.