There's no place like home for Butler, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Thursday. They came out on top against the Independence Patriots by a score of 56-44 on Friday. The victory was all the more spectacular given the Bulldogs' disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 140th, while the Patriots are ranked 24th).
| 01/17/25 vs Independence | 12 |
| 11/21/24 @ Central Cabarrus | 11 |
| 12/30/24 vs Shelby | 9 |
| 12/03/24 vs Harding University | 8 |
| 11/26/24 vs Sun Valley | 8 |
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Butler to victory, but perhaps none more so than Reece Starnes, who almost dropped a double-double on nine points and 12 boards. The dominant performance gave Starnes a new career-high in rebounds. Another player making a difference was Terrance Badio, who went 7 of 11 on his way to 15 points.
Butler was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Independence only posted five assists.
When it comes to explaining why Independence lost, don't look at Lusemo Macharia. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 14 points and 11 boards. Dylan McFarland was another key player, putting up seven points.
Butler's win bumped their record up to 10-7. As for Independence, their loss ended a seven-game streak of away wins and brought them to 14-3.
Butler has already played their next match, a 59-54 defeat against Corvian Community on the 18th. As for Independence, they will face off against Ambassador Christian School at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
