Butler stuns Tipp on Senior Night

It was a game that the Tippecanoe boys basketball team just could not get over the hump.

After falling behind double figures in the opening period, the Red Devils battled back to cut their deficit to one possession late in the game. But they never could get the lead and ended up falling to the Butler Aviators 50-45 in front of a Senior Night crowd at Tippecanoe High School.

With this loss, the Red Devils suffered their first loss in the Miami Valley League since the end of January last season, as they fell to 16-1 overall in the MVL. Despite the loss, Tipp still maintained a one game lead over Butler in the league with an earlier win at Butler, while the Aviators fell 53-52 to West Carrollton. That one point loss for Butler means if Tipp beats three-win Fairborn last night, they still earn the undisputed conference champions.

But this one hit the Red Devils hard. So hard that the Tipp team and coaches were still in the locker room 20 minutes after the game concluded. The Gazette did not get to speak with coach Brock Moon as he was in with his team working out this loss. It was their second consecutive loss, as they fell to Bellbrook 76-70 in a non-league contest.

In this game, things did not start well for Tipp, to the point where Tipp did not score a field goal the first five minutes of the game. Butler scored at will, many in the paint as they took a 15-2 lead with 3:19 left in the first period.

CJ Bailey, who led Tipp with 18 points, finally broke through with the first Tipp field goal, and he scored seven points late in the period to keep the Red Devils within 17-9 after one period.

Where teams usually fall back against Tipp, Butler never did in the first half, answering basket for basket in the second period as the Red Devils used six points from Hudson Ganger to keep the game close at the half.

A 7-4 third quarter brought Tipp to within one possession and the closest they were since the first period. In the fourth, every time Tipp tried to answer, Butler would respond. It wasn’t until Tipp cut the game to one-possession and the Red Devils fouled after Butler missed a free throw, giving them another scoring chance. Butler capitalized and escaped with the win.