No. 7 Butler rallies to beat Charlotte Christian at Hoodies House tournament
By Langston Wertz Jr.
Butler High boys basketball coach Myron Lowery told his team at halftime that the Bulldogs’ game with Charlotte Christian at the Hoodies House tournament was being played at too slow a pace.
Lowery employed a run-and-jump press that caused Christian problems in the second half and allowed Butler, No. 7 in the Observer’s Sweet 16, to avoid an upset with a 54-50 win.
“The game was too slow,” Lowery said. “We talked about it at halftime. We said ‘We’ve got to pick up the pace and that (press) did ignite us. We had a couple guys come off the bench and give us some energy. We’ve got good depth and it’s always a different guy.”
Butler trailed by five in the third quarter but the pressure helped the Bulldogs rally to regain the lead. And in the final 46 seconds, Butler made 8-of-10 free throws to keep Christian at bay
THEY SAID IT
“Charlotte Christian has always been one of the top programs in Charlotte, and (coach) Shonn Brown does a great job over there and I knew we would have to beat them, that they wouldn’t make a lot of mistakes, which they didn’t. We didn’t want the game in the 40s or 50s. We wanted it higher scoring but the big thing was us hitting the free throws....That was huge.” – Butler coach Myron Lowery.
THREE WHO MATTERED
▪ J.C. Tharrington, Charlotte Christian: freshman point guard had 18 points, four rebounds and three assists.
▪ Gerrale Gates, Butler: 6-5 sophomore forward had 14 points, 12 rebounds and a steal.
▪ Orlando Robinson, Butler: 14 points, one assist and one steal. His defensive pressure helped turn the game around for Butler.
WORTH MENTIONING
The regional all-tournament team consisted of Orlando Robinson, Butler; JC Tharrington, Charlotte Christian; Prince Anosike, Prince Buchanan (KY); Steven Silvers, Prince Buchanan (KY), MVP; Brett Carter, SouthLake Christian
WHAT’S NEXT
Charlotte Christian (6-7) plays at reigning NCISAA 3A champ Greensboro Day Tuesday; Butler (11-4), which has won eight of its past nine games, plays at Southwestern 4A conference foe Rocky River Tuesday.
By Langston Wertz Jr.
Butler High boys basketball coach Myron Lowery told his team at halftime that the Bulldogs’ game with Charlotte Christian at the Hoodies House tournament was being played at too slow a pace.
Lowery employed a run-and-jump press that caused Christian problems in the second half and allowed Butler, No. 7 in the Observer’s Sweet 16, to avoid an upset with a 54-50 win.
“The game was too slow,” Lowery said. “We talked about it at halftime. We said ‘We’ve got to pick up the pace and that (press) did ignite us. We had a couple guys come off the bench and give us some energy. We’ve got good depth and it’s always a different guy.”
Butler trailed by five in the third quarter but the pressure helped the Bulldogs rally to regain the lead. And in the final 46 seconds, Butler made 8-of-10 free throws to keep Christian at bay
THEY SAID IT
“Charlotte Christian has always been one of the top programs in Charlotte, and (coach) Shonn Brown does a great job over there and I knew we would have to beat them, that they wouldn’t make a lot of mistakes, which they didn’t. We didn’t want the game in the 40s or 50s. We wanted it higher scoring but the big thing was us hitting the free throws....That was huge.” – Butler coach Myron Lowery.
THREE WHO MATTERED
▪ J.C. Tharrington, Charlotte Christian: freshman point guard had 18 points, four rebounds and three assists.
▪ Gerrale Gates, Butler: 6-5 sophomore forward had 14 points, 12 rebounds and a steal.
▪ Orlando Robinson, Butler: 14 points, one assist and one steal. His defensive pressure helped turn the game around for Butler.
WORTH MENTIONING
The regional all-tournament team consisted of Orlando Robinson, Butler; JC Tharrington, Charlotte Christian; Prince Anosike, Prince Buchanan (KY); Steven Silvers, Prince Buchanan (KY), MVP; Brett Carter, SouthLake Christian
WHAT’S NEXT
Charlotte Christian (6-7) plays at reigning NCISAA 3A champ Greensboro Day Tuesday; Butler (11-4), which has won eight of its past nine games, plays at Southwestern 4A conference foe Rocky River Tuesday.
