Basketball Recap: East Butler Comes Up Short

It was a proper cat-fight when East Butler took on Lyons-Decatur Northeast on Friday. The East Butler Tigers took a 60-48 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Lyons-Decatur Northeast Cougars. The Tigers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Cougars apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in February of 2024.

Lillie Kriz

Rebounds

02/14/25 @ Lyons-Decatur Northeast	16
02/13/25 vs Shelby-Rising City	16
02/11/25 @ Cross County	8
02/07/25 @ High Plains	15
02/04/25 @ McCool Junction	8
01/28/25 vs Twin River	10

When it comes to explaining why East Butler lost, don't look at Lillie Kriz. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double with 12 points and 16 boards. Kriz is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as she's now pulled down eight or more in each of the last six games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Margret Pekarek, who posted nine points along with seven boards and three steals.

Even though they lost, East Butler smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in December of 2024.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Lyons-Decatur Northeast to victory, but perhaps none more so than Avery Bacon, who to rack up 16 points in addition to six rebounds and four steals. Bacon is becoming a predictor of Lyons-Decatur Northeast's success: when she posts at least 15 points the team is 2-1 (and 7-12 when she doesn't). Another player making a difference was Samantha Roth, who on her way to 16 points and eight assists.

East Butler dropped their record down to 9-14 with the loss, which was their fourth straight on the road. As for Lyons-Decatur Northeast, their victory bumped their record up to 9-13.

East Butler wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 54-46 defeat against Walthill on the 17th. As for Lyons-Decatur Northeast, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 54-25 loss against Howells-Dodge on the 19th.