The Rocky River Ravens were the 59-57 winner over the Butler Bulldogs when they last played one another back in February of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. Rocky River took a 63-54 hit to the loss column at the hands of Butler on Friday.
Several Ravens players turned in solid performances, despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Shamari Johnson, who dropped a double-double on 18 points and 13 rebounds. The game was Johnson's seventh in a row with at least ten points. Markiest Houston was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with seven rebounds.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Butler to victory, but perhaps none more so than Aree Branch, who scored 14 points along with five rebounds. Those 14 points set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Terrance Badio, who scored 12 points along with nine rebounds.
Rocky River's loss was their fourth straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 6-9. As for Butler, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Rocky River will take on Providence at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Butler, they will play host again and welcome Charlotte Catholic, where tip off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hopefully Charlotte Catholic focused on turnovers this week since the team gave up ten on Friday.
