Saturday March 3rd (Bellarmine University)
Butler (22-9) vs. Mercy Academy (27-5) (Championship)
Butler coach Larry Just started the following lineup: 5-10 Jr. Aareon Smith, 5-9 Jr. Alexis Stallard, 5-10 So. Danielle Lawrence, 5-3 Sr. Cora Moore, and 5-7 Sr. MacKenzie Martinez. Mercy Academy coach Mark Evans countered with 5-10 Sr. Christine Roush, 5-9 Jr. Victoria Dircksen, 5-11 Sr. Courtney Roush, 5-7 Jr. Kayla Richardson, and 5-7 Jr. Whitney Hartlage.
Butler led 22-21 at halftime and outscored the Jaguars 17-10 in the third quarter on their way to a 59-47 upset victory over Mercy Academy. Butler shot 47.4% from the field including six of eight from the three point line. The Bearettes connected on 17 of 23 free throws, pulled down 36 rebounds, and scored 19 points off 11 Mercy turnovers. Mercy shot 30.9% from the field including three of 16 from beyond the arc. The Jaguars connected on 10 of 18 free throws, pulled down 31 rebounds, and scored 16 points off 17 Butler turnovers. Mercy attempted 17 more shots (55-38) from the field than Butler.
Alexis Stallard led Butler with 16 points. Cora Moore added 14 points including three three point baskets and four assists. Danielle Lawrence chipped in with 12 points and six rebounds. Aareon Smith recorded six points and nine rebounds. MacKenzie Martinez added six points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
Kayla Richardson led Mercy Academy with 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Christine Roush added 11 points and three steals. Whitney Hartlage chipped in with nine points. Courtney Roush recorded seven points and six rebounds.
Butler,11,11,17,20,59
Mercy Academy,12,9,10,16,47
Butler (59) – Smith 6, Stallard 16, Lawrence 12, Moore 14, Martinez 6, Casey 2, Snyder 3.
Mercy Academy (47) – Ch. Roush 11, Dircksen 5, Co. Roush 7, Richardson 12, Hartlage 9, Stilger 3.
Acknowledgements:
A special thanks to Bob Tonini of Sacred Heart Academy for providing the comprehensive statistics for tonight’s games.