#4 Butler 50, #3 Westside 49 - Full Highlight Reel, Photos and Instant Reaction
Butler gained the early edge in the class 2A, region 4 race with a win on the road in a highly anticipated showdown
#4 Butler hit the road Friday and topped #3 Westside 50-49 in a highly anticipated class 2A, region 4 showdown. Seniors Elijah Martinez (12 points), Kendrell Glanton (11) and Kedar Bodie (10) led the way for the Bulldogs (4-3, 2-0), who took an early lead in the eight-team region which features three top 10 ranked teams, including #6 Putnam County (6-1, 2-0).
Five of Butler’s seven games have been against teams ranked in the top 10 in their classification. Friday’s win marked the second time Butler earned a road win over a ranked team with the first being a 46-40 win over #5 Cross Creek, the defending class 3A state champion.
Westside (7-1, 1-1) was led by junior standouts Khalon Hudson (17 points), AuMauri Tillman (17) and Jalexs Ewing (11). But only four Patriots managed to score, while 8 Butler players posted points. And Westside only put up 18 points in the second half, including 6 in the final 6 minutes.
Butler also had trouble scoring down the stretch. In addition to missing the front end of a one-and-one twice in the final thirty seconds, the team’s only field goal in the last 6 minutes came when Bodie answered a basket by Hudson to put the Bulldogs ahead 50-47 with just under 3 minutes remaining.
The Bulldogs overcame a 31-20 halftime deficit by scoring 28 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half and taking a 48-43 lead with 5:55 remaining when freshman Marcus Scurry nailed his second three pointer of the half.
Glanton also tossed in a pair of threes during Butler’s 28-12 spurt that covered all of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth.
Glanton also made an impact on the defensive end by swatting away two attempts by Hudson and another by Tillman. And all four of Glanton’s teammates leapt with him in celebration when he glided through the air and dunked the ball at the beginning of the fourth quarter to give the Bulldogs a 41-37 lead.
Both teams will participate in holiday tournaments before resuming region play in January.
