Butler takes down East Meck for fourth straight win
Friday night’s Southwestern 4A high school basketball game couldn’t have started worse for the East Mecklenburg Eagles against the Butler Bulldogs. Butler opened the game with a 17-0 run which proved to be too much for East Meck to overcome in an 86-65 Bulldogs’ win.
East Meck came into the game leading the Southwestern 4A standings with a 6-1 mark, but now the Eagles, Butler and Catholic are tied at the near of the conference standings with the regular season winding down. Rocky River is in first at 6-1.
Butler led 4-0 on the game’s first possession as senior guard Ty Black sunk an early 3-pointer and a free throw as he was fouled on the play. The Bulldogs never looked back. Black scorched East Meck with 14 first-quarter points which included three 3-pointers.
“As soon as I made my first shot I knew I was going to be up from there,” said Black. “I was going crazy the rest of the game.”
Credit also goes to junior forward Peyton Scott who had ten of the Bulldogs 26 first-quarter points, and along with Black propelled Butler to a 26-7 first-quarter advantage. Black had a game-high 24 points, including seven 3-pointers. Zion McDuffie had 18 for Butler while Ty Showalter and Scott each chipped in with 14 points.
The Eagles, who came out cold in the first quarter with only seven points, were led by Jordan Nevill with 19 points. Other East Meck players who finished in double figures were Jonah Lawrence with 17, the Eagles’ leading scorer Kanye Johnson with 14, and Bayless Williams with 11.
Three who made a difference
Ty Black, Butler: Black’s 14 first-quarter points including seven 3-pointers propelled the Bulldogs to the fast start which was too much for East Meck to overcome.
Jordan Nevill, East Meck: Nevill’s ten third-quarter points helped cut the Eagles deficit to only eight entering the fourth quarter.
Peyton Scott, Butler: Coupled with Black’s 14 first-quarter, Scott’s 10 first-quarter points helped put East Meck in a 19-point first-quarter deficit.
Worth mentioning
▪ Butler swept the two-game regular-season series with the Eagles. The Bulldogs won earlier in the season at home in a 62-61 squeaker on December 17
▪ Butler also won the varsity girls’ game 41-30 over East Meck. Brooklyn Saunders had 27 points in leading the Bulldogs to victory.
They said it
“We talked to our guys about this environment tonight, and there’s no better place to be than a small road gym with a big crowd that’s going to be pretty hostile. Our guys embraced it. We talked in the locker room beforehand and I told them that if you don’t like this environment you are in the wrong spot.” — Butler coach Patrick King
This story was originally published January 29, 2022 at 2:33 PM.