Makayla Mallat, a senior at Butler High School, is State-Bound in wrestling. Makayla has been putting together an incredible year as she remains undefeated at 20-0. Makayla was crowned the District Champion this week, pinning her opponent in the tournament in the opening round of the match.
Tuesday Night saw the Adrian Blackhawks host the Liberal Bulldogs. The Ladies would begin the night, as the 14-8 Blackhawks tipped off against the 14-10 Bulldogs. As the records would indicate, this was indeed a competitive match-up. Adrian would lead much of the game, but the Bulldogs never would go away. The Bulldogs came back in the final quarter and took a narrow lead forcing the Blackhawks to play from behind. The game would come down to a buzzer beater. Adrian would walk away with a narrow victory of 45-44 as Natalie Essenpries would drill a final shot as time was expiring to get the Blackhawks the W. The Varsity Boys for Adrian also walked away with a victory for the night. Despite a single digit margin at the end, the Blackhawks appeared to be in control of the Bulldogs all night and won with a final score of 72-64. The men were led by Rusow who had a double-double on the night with 20+ points and 12 rebounds. Friday Night the Blackhawks took on the Drexel Bobcats. Adrian would win both match ups, the girls picked up a 42-36 victory, while the boys final was 55-41. Congratulations to both Blackhawks teams going 2-0 this week.
The Butler Lady Bears continued their struggles early on in the week falling to Hume with a score of 61-34. In the loss, Zoey Fritts led the Bears scoring with 10 points, while Breklen Morrison of the Hornets led all scoring with 27. The Bears’ troubles continued the next night as they hosted El Dorado Springs. The Bulldogs were easily able to handle the Bears, handing them a 57-25 loss. Zoey Fritts was again the Bears leading scorer, collecting 13 of Butler’s 25 points on the night. Macie Mays led all scoring with 17 points. The Bulldogs had 9 ladies that scored buckets in the win over the Bears. After 2 quick losses to start the week, the Bears journey to Warsaw looking to bounce back with a win. The Bears jumped to a quick 14-8 lead in the first quarter. Warsaw however would make some adjustments in the second quarter and would take the lead going into the locker room with a score of 24-25. The Bears would come out of the break back on fire and would outscore the Wildcats in both the 3rd and 4th quarters on their way to a 55-44 win. Zoey Fritts was once again the Bears leading scorer for the 3rd time this week with 17 points and 5 rebounds. Other contributors for the Bears included: Addyson Clover with 14 points, 4/11 shooting from deep and 7 boards; Freshman Caroline Cook with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. The Wildcats were led by Howe who ended the night with 15 points.
The Rich Hill Tigers took two road trips this week, going to Drexel, then going to Appleton City. The boys would walk away from the trips 2-0, defeating the Drexel Bobcats 59-52, and easily handling the Appleton City Bulldogs with a score of 82-42. The ladies, however, plagued by injuries, would do the opposite. They would conclude the week with 2 losses, falling to Drexel 61-19 and dropping to Appleton City 58-40.
Carter Trumbore leads the Bears to a 2-1 Week While Claiming the Single Season Scoring Title
It was a historic week for the Butler Bears as Carter Trumbore (Junior) broke the Single Season scoring record for Butler. The Bears
Tuesday night the Bears would host the El Dorado Springs Bulldogs who came in with a record of 19-4. A strong defensive effort by the Bulldogs carried them to a 14-5 advantage after 8 minutes of play. The Bears would come out in the second quarter and see a little more success finding the bottom of the basket and go into the break with a 9 point deficit as the Bulldogs clung to a 32-23 lead. But the Bulldogs pressure never would let up enough for the Bears to take a lead, and El Dorado would come out victorious with a final score of 75-56. Carter would end the night with 35 points, and the title of Butler’s Season Scoring Record. The previous record of 660 points was held by Bronson Duda. Logan Doll added 16 points on the night. The Bulldogs were led by Joe Gordon who collected 21 points.
Carter Trumbore, only a junior, has proven to be an exceptional talent for the Bears. After claiming the record, Carter says, “the hard work and dedication is starting to show and all the hard work I have put in that no one sees is what sets you apart, not just what you do in front of everyone.” Carter is a young man that lives and breathes basketball, he can always be found watching film and looking for ways to improve his game on the hardwood. As he is just a junior, Carter is keeping his eyes set on the Butler record books, he says now he is going to attempt to break the all time scoring record for the school. The current all time scorer for the Bears is Zach Burch with 1,867 career points, Carter says he wants to score 2,000, he is on pace to do so as he already has 1,425. He says he also looks forward to potentially getting some college offers and desires to continue playing ball at the next level.
Following that Tuesday night loss against the Bulldogs, the Bears would make the trek to Warsaw to take on the Wildcats. The Wildcats are a team that have been struggling this season, winning their first game, and then not finding another win so far. The Bears would come into the night looking to disrupt the Wildcats Senior Night by handing them another loss. Carter got off to another one of his patented quick starts, as he scored 16 points on 2 of 3 shooting from deep and carried the Bears to a 24-17 led after 1. The Bears shot selection throughout the night would prove helpful, as they shot the ball 40 percent from the field, and 40 percent from deep. After jumping out to a large lead, and continuing to shoot well, the Bears would finish the night with a 56-37 win over the Wildcats. Trumbore led the Bears with 32 points, 17 of which would come from the free throw line. Hunter Kelso contributed 12 points on 3 of 5 shooting from deep on the night. The Wildcats were led in scoring by Logan Gems with 12 points.
Basketball District Seeding
As teams are wrapping up their regular seasons, the Class 3 District 13 seeding has been released. The District tournament this year will be held in Butler on February 20-24.
On the boys side of things, El Dorado Springs will come into the tournament as the 1 seed, followed by: Lone Jack (2), Butler (3), Adrian (4), Sherwood (5), Holden (6). The first round of play will see Adrian take on Sherwood, and Butler match-up against Holden. El Dorado Springs and Lone Jack will both have byes for the first round. Butler went into Holden earlier in the season and walked away with a 69-32 win. Adrian fell to Sherwood with a score of 47-42 back in the early part of the season.
On the girls side of the bracket, El Dorado Springs again claims the 1 seed, then you have: Holden (2), Sherwood (3), Lone Jack (4), Adrian (5), Butler (6). Lone Jack will take on Adrian, and Butler will square off against Sherwood in the opening round. Lone Jack narrowly defeated Adrian with a score of 36-34 in their first meeting this season. Sherwood handled Butler in each time the two schools have met, 65-47 the first time, and more recently with a score of 60-21.
More than Just Sports at Rich Hill
Rich Hill saw 7 volleyball players named 2022 Academic All-State Recipients. These ladies have fulfilled impressive requirements both
Pictured are the 7 ladies who have been bestowed this honor. Front Row/Left to Right: Izzy Swope, Emily Mackey, Trinity Burris. Back Row/Left to Right: Maysi Miller, Lanie Phelps, Clare Klinksick, Kayden Coonce
