After a string of four wins, the Butler Bulldogs's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They took a 52-41 hit to the loss column at the hands of Independence. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Butler has scored all season.
When it comes to explaining why Butler lost, one person who can't be blamed is Tyler Showalter. Despite the final result, he dropped a double-double on 14 points and ten rebounds. That was a full 34.1% of Butler's points, marking the fifth time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Reece Starnes, who scored ten points along with nine rebounds.
Independence was led to victory by Kaleb Jasper and Yancey Thomason. Jasper scored 11 points along with five assists and five steals, while Thomason scored 14 points along with three steals. Another player making a difference was Zion Bosley-Slade, who scored five points.
Butler's defeat dropped their record down to 10-7. As for Independence, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-4.
Butler will take on Garinger at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Independence will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Charlotte Catholic at 7:30 p.m. on January 30th.
