A 50-40 win at Butler on Tuesday was a test of wills to see which team would hang on and break through down the stretch.
“Anytime we come out here and we get a win, no matter how ugly it is, we’re happy,” Tipp head coach Brock Moon said. “I don’t think we’ve played a pretty game over here in years. It was ugly and it was physical.”
A three-pointer by sophomore Hudson Ganger came with 2:13 to play following a Tipp timeout. Both sides had several opportunities in the minute leading up to it to swing the game in either direction and continually came up short while the Red Devils lead by six.
Moon decided to try to compose his players on the floor as he said throughout the night he saw a team that may have been too hyped for the big matchup and just needed to find themselves. Ganger helped that with his big shot.
He dribbled the ball across the half-court line following the timeout, bounced it over to senior Colin Turner near the free throw line and received it back seconds later while standing close to five feet from the arc. There was little hesitation to pull the trigger with no defenders within 10 feet of him and he drained the dagger.
“It was a little risky of a shot to be honest,” Moon said. “As a coach, you’re like it better go in, and it’s the no, no, no, yes shot.”
Tipp (7-0, 7-0) closed out the win by going 5-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch and dribbled out most of the remaining clock.
Ganger had 12 points to lead the Red Devils. Senior C. J. Bailey, the leading scorer in the MVL, was held to 11 with nine coming after halftime.
Butler (8-1, 8-1) got 11 points from seniors Troy Fletcher and Toby Moore Jr., respectively. The Aviators only hit five field goals in the second half and never were able to find the spark needed to have a chance in the fourth quarter.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
“When you don’t hit free throws and you miss 10 or 12 layups, it’s hard to beat a good team,” Butler head coach Andy Holderman said. “That’s exactly what we did. I thought defensively we did what we needed to do. Just on the offensive side we just couldn’t put the ball in the basket.”
Butler senior Julius Rusk, the MVL’s second leading scorer, did not record a point in the game. Moon said it was a focus for his side to concentrate on eliminating his strengths.
“I think [senior Bryton Otto] neutralized Rusk a lot,” Moon said. “Just how strong and big Rusk is, I think the length kind of bothered him inside a lot of times. … That’s our game plan coming in. Make sure we stop him and limit him to easy buckets as he’s a heck of a player.”
Butler limited possessions in the game with its deliberate offensive pace. The Aviators pulled out of several fast break situations to run its offense and look for potential breakdowns in the defense.
An 8-2 lead in the first quarter was the fast start needed to keep the Student Activity Center crowd energized as Butler controlled the rebounding battle early. Those possessions turned into one-and-dones as Tipp steadily took control and Butler didn’t help itself often with unforced turnovers.
“We were in position. It’s just again at the end, it’s down to execution and who makes plays,” Holderman said. “When you start going into semi desperation mode, you’re running and jumping and trying, I mean, who do you leave open? They got five guys out on the floor that can flat out shoot it. I thought the game plan was good, and I thought we executed pretty well on the defensive side of things. Offensively, we just didn’t have it tonight.”
Tipp took the lead for good at 24-22 right before halftime on a Turner layup off an inbounds play in the final seconds of the second quarter. Butler only once in the second half strung together consecutive points, but the game remained close until Ganger’s shot put it out of reach.
“It was good for us to battle,” Moon said. “It was ugly both ways and I don’t think either team shot well, took care of the ball well, but sometimes those are games you have in a 22-game season.”
Tipp’s closest win had been by 19 points heading into Tuesday’s game. The Red Devils got a late start to its season due to school’s deep run in the football playoffs. It has wasted little time since then getting to the top of the MVL.
About the Author
