Thomasson and Pruitt pace Butler to a 101-37 win over Hesston College
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Hesston College
1-0, 0-0
|
19 | 18 | 37 |
|
Butler
1-0, 0-0
|
43 | 58 | 101 |
Team Stats
Hesston College
| Game Statistics | Hesston College | Butler |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (12-61) | (39-69) |
| Field Goal % | 19.7% | 56.5% |
| Rebounds | 27 | 57 |
| Assists | 5 | 22 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 8 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 3 | 15 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 4 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 8 | 52 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 14 | 26 |
The Grizzlies explosive offense led by Thomasson and Pruitt made another appearance as they posted another high number on the scoreboard handing Hesston their first loss of the season in a 101-37 win Saturday afternoon in El Dorado, KS.
A spark from behind the arc by Treylon Payne and Keyon Thomas got the Grizzlies offense rolling in the first half as they combined for five threes in the first to help Butler carry a 43-19 lead into the break.
After the break Noah Thomasson took over and controlled the offensive pace in the first few minutes scoring seven of his game high 19 points in the first few minutes of the second half. Pruitt, who finished with 18 points in the game really ignited the Grizzlies with his two powerful dunks midway through the half. Pruitt was a big and physical presence that Hesston was unable to contain all afternoon.
The Grizzlies kept pace the remainder of the half and won by a comfortable margin of 101-37. This is the fewest points the Grizzlies have allowed since Nov. 17, 2015 when Butler held On Point Academy to 36 points.
"We had a hard practice yesterday and really emphasized guarding the ball and rebounding the ball today," commented head coach Kyle Fisher. "Going up and grabbing it with both hands and coming down with it. We really guarded today. We got down and guarded and it showed on the scoreboard."
Although the Grizzly offense put on a display, the defense is what controlled this game. Butler held Hesston to shooting just shy of 20% from the floor and from three-point range. The Larks also struggled from the free throw line making just 8-19 in the game.
"We shot it well again today and are really moving it well," said Fisher. "We are playing unselfish and we are going to have to keep that up when we get into league play."
Butler kept Hesston on the perimeter all afternoon as the Larks only scored eight points inside the paint while Butler scored 52 from inside.
Noah Thomasson put up a great stat line finishing with a game high 19 points along with eight assists and seven rebounds. DeeJuan Pruitt ended the night with his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds. He had two thundering dunks and was 8-9 from the floor. Keyon Thomas and Treylon Payne were snipers from behind the arc. Thomas finished 5-6 from deep with 15 points while Payne was 4-6 with 14 points. Isaiah Williams gave the Grizzlies great minutes off the bench finishing with 10 points and six rebounds.
Butler finished shooting 57% from the floor and 43% from deep and dished out 22 assists. They out rebounded the Larks 57-27 while forcing 12 turnovers and got six steals.
"We have gotten better but not where we need to be yet," mentioned Fisher. "Dodge City is a very talented group, so we are going to have to be really sharp. Going on the road is always tough especially in the conference."
NEXT UP: Butler will take their first road trip out west as they face Dodge City on Saturday, January 30 at 3:00pm.
NOTES: Last matchup with Hesston was Nov. 7, 2018 where the Grizzlies won 90-67… 37 points in the fewest allowed in a game since Nov. 17, 2015 when Butler held On Point Academy to 36 points… DeeJuan Pruitt posted first double-double of the season for a Grizzly. Last back-to-back 100+ point games happened last season – vs. Neosho Feb. 12 (Win 100-67) and vs. Cowley Feb. 19 (Win 105-94).
