Grizzlies Win 14th Straight After Road Victory at Independence
INDEPENDENCE, Kan. – The No. 2 Butler Grizzlies extended their winning streak to 14 games with a 75–44 victory over Independence on Wednesday night.
INDEPENDENCE, Kan. – The No. 2 Butler Grizzlies extended their winning streak to 14 games with a 75–44 victory over Independence on Wednesday night.
Butler improves to 23–1 overall and 17–1 in conference play, while Independence drops to 5–20 (2–17 KJCCC).
The Grizzlies controlled the game from the opening tip, jumping out to a 28–12 lead after the first quarter. Independence outscored Butler 15–11 in the second, trimming the deficit to 39–27 at halftime.
Butler's defense tightened in the second half, allowing just 17 total points across the final two quarters. The Grizzlies led by as many as 34 while closing out another convincing conference win.
Butler controlled the glass with a 49–36 rebounding advantage, including 19 second‑chance points. The defense forced 19 turnovers, collected 14 steals, and converted those mistakes into 18 points off turnovers.
The Grizzlies shot 30-for-76 (39.5%) from the field and 12-for-16 at the free‑throw line. Independence was held to 17-for-55 (30.9%) shooting.
Freshman Aliyah Green, an Andover, Kansas native, delivered a breakout performance with a career‑high 19 points on 8‑of‑12 shooting in just 19 minutes. Sophomore Ashley Singhateh filled the stat sheet with 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Keegan Yarick added 13 points on 6‑of‑11 shooting.
With No. 6 Dodge City falling to No. 19 Hutchinson, Butler now holds a two‑game lead in the conference standings and owns the head‑to‑head tiebreaker over Dodge City.
Next Up: No. 2 Butler returns home to the Power Plant on Saturday at 2 p.m. to host Seward County. The Saints enter at 17–8 (12–7 KJCCC). Head coach Mike Helmer is 14–19 all‑time against Seward, but the Grizzlies have won 12 of the last 15 meetings since the 2018–19 season. Butler won the first matchup against Seward in Liberal back on December 13th 77-51.
