Butler navigates Hazard after rough shooting start at Boys’ Sweet 16
The first quarter between Butler and Hazard on Thursday morning wasn’t for the faint of heart, but basketball games are settled after four of ’em.
Fortunately for the Bears, they found their stroke in the final three and pulled away for a 54-39 victory over Hazard in the UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena.
Through eight minutes, it seemed the first team to reach 30 points might punch their ticket to the quarterfinals. Butler (27-5) shot 2 for 11 to open the game; Adrian Wilder made two from beyond the 3-point arc. The Bulldogs (24-11) weren’t much better at 3 of 11 but it was enough for a 7-6 advantage.
Butler equaled its first-quarter scoring with just 2:15 off the clock in the second quarter. The Bears made five of their first seven shots in the frame to fuel an 11-4 run that allowed them to take the lead for good.
Wilder hit four of his five 3-pointers in the first half en route to a game-high 18 points. He led the Bears with seven rebounds.
“I was feeling comfortable,” Wilder said. “They were in a zone and they’re not face-guarding me. If they’re gonna leave me open, I’m gonna let it fly.”
The Bears were 2-for-7 from behind the 3-point line in the first quarter but 6-for-13 the rest of the game. Brayden Wilkins made Butler’s other three 3-pointers, two of them sandwiching a make by Wilder that pushed Butler back up double digits after Hazard cut its lead to 38-35 just 30 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Trace Kincaid, a junior and Hazard’s top 3-point shooter (107 made, 35.8%) connected on that shot, but it was his only make on seven attempts. Three-point shooting was a teamwide miss for the Bulldogs: Talan Osbore (31.2%) was also 1-for-7 from long range; Seth Caudill and Tucker Johnson were 1 for 4; and Tucker Napier missed his only attempt.
But most of their looks were good, including a series of three straight attempts from the top of the key that could have stymied Butler’s fourth-quarter momentum.
Napier, who had a game-high nine rebounds, secured two offensive boards on the possession, each leading to wide-open 3-point bids. All three shots on the possession rolled out or hit the rim.
“We just had a really hard time getting our feet under us, and I think that’s why it’s really important, as a high school program, year-in and year-out, you’re competing and you’re getting down here,” said Hazard coach Casey Huff. “Because that’s how you get your feet under you and get comfortable with the situation.”
Hazard, a two-time state champ making its 30th appearance, hadn’t played in the event since 2009. Huff was in first year leading the program following the retirement of longtime skipper Al Holland, the 14th Region’s all-time wins leader.
He briefly noted some of the disadvantages a program like his — a small school from eastern Kentucky — must navigate in order to succeed, but spoke confidently about Hazard’s long-term outlook.
“You’ve gotta hopefully figure out how to use this as traction going forward and build a program with some real sustainability that can get here often and compete at a high level,” Huff said. “For mountain teams, it’s always a ‘think bigger’ mentality that we’ve gotta get to. It’s not enough to get down here.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 2:23 PM.