GREENVILLE – Butler used a decisive first-quarter run and balanced scoring throughout the lineup to defeat Greenville 66-37 in Tuesday night Miami Valley League varsity boys basketball action on the Green Wave’s home floor.
“Our inconsistency to do the things we need to do night in and night out is what gets us in trouble,” said Greenville coach Matt Hamilton. “We play some of our best basketball against Tippecanoe on Friday night, take great shots, move the ball well, and tonight we don’t.”
The game was competitive early, with the teams knotted at 7-7 at the 5:13 mark of the opening quarter. Gage Denhman scored five of Greenville’s seven points during that stretch, but the momentum quickly shifted as Butler closed the period on a 13-0 run to take a 20-7 lead after one.
Greenville’s challenge grew steeper in the second quarter when leading scorer Michael McMahon, who entered the night averaging 10.6 points per game, suffered an injury and was unable to return after halftime. Taking advantage, the Aviators outscored the Green Wave 14-8 in the second quarter, extending their lead to 34-15 at the break.
Butler continued to control play in the second half, outscoring Greenville 18-13 in the third quarter and 14-9 in the final period to secure the conference victory. Ten different Aviators found the scoring column in the win, underscoring Butler’s depth and balance.
For Greenville, 6-foot-3 sophomore Logan Inman provided a bright spot, coming off the bench to lead the Green Wave with nine points, all in the second half.
“He’s really coming along, putting up some great JV time, which is obviously why he is continuing to get more varsity minutes,” Hamilton said of Inman. “He’s a guy who has been working hard, and he’s earning his time.”
Butler had previously defeated Greenville 61-35 earlier this season on its home court, completing the season sweep with Tuesday’s result.
With the win, Butler improves to 9-3 overall and 9-2 in MVL play, while Greenville falls to 2-10 on the season and 1-9 in conference action.
BOX SCORE:
BUTLER 66, GREENVILLE 37
BUTLER: C. Neely 14, J. Rusk 11, T. Fletcher 10, K. Jordan 8, D. Casey 5, R. Armstrong 4, T. Moore 4, T. Severance 4, M. Craine 3, L. Betten 3 – TOTALS
GREENVILLE – L. Inman 9, G. Denham 7, J. Barr 6, L. Thorp 4, D. Conway 3, E. Flatter 2, M. McMahon 2, I. Kerg 2, B. Bauman 2 – TOTALS
3-POINTERS
Butler 6 (C. Neely 3, M. Craine 1, K. Jordan 1, Betten 1)
Greenville 0
SCORE by QUARTERS
20-14-18-14 66 Butler
07-08-13-09 37 Greenville
