After three games on the road, Butler is heading back home. They will take on the Garinger Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Butler suffered their biggest loss yet this season on Friday. They were dealt a 67-34 defeat at the hands of Independence. Butler has not had much luck with Independence recently, as the team's come up short the last six times they've met.
Meanwhile, Garinger had to suffer through a rough 60-30 loss at the hands of Providence. Garinger was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 43-7.
Despite the defeat, Garinger saw an underclassman step up: Misa Garris scored 13 points along with two steals. Garris hasn't dropped below two steals for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Imonee Patterson, who scored two points along with three steals.
Garinger struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only two offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Butler has been struggling recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 10-6 record this season. As for Garinger, they dropped their record down to 11-7 with that loss, which was their third straight on the road.
Butler was able to grind out a solid victory over Garinger in their previous meeting back in December of 2023, winning 53-45. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Garris, who scored 12 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Butler still be able to contain him? There's only one way to find out.
