Metro topples mountains: Overtime needed to decide Sweet Sixteen thriller
In a game of wild swings in which both teams seemed to be on their way to sure victory, Butler, the 6th Region champion out of Louisville, survived hot-shooting 14th Region champ Perry County Central, 65-62, in overtime Thursday in the opening round of the 102nd Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena.
BOX SCORE: Butler 65, Perry County Central 62 (OT)
Butler’s Maurice Tolley hit two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to seal the victory. Perry County Central star Noah Black, a Mr. Basketball finalist, missed the chance to tie on a long three at the buzzer.
“I’m proud of my guys. We stuck with it — ups, downs, arounds — any way you want to look at it, they found a way to get it done,” said Butler Coach Kentreal Goodin.
Perry Central shot a blistering percentage from the field, making 22 of 33 for 67 percent, keeping the Commodores in the game despite 20 turnovers. But misses at the free-throw line in overtime cost the Commodores two chances to tie the game, letting Butler gain a margin.
Down by nine at the start of the third quarter, Perry Central went on an 11-0 run, seemingly seizing momentum and establishing its own nine-point lead on a Noah Caudill layup with 5:50 left in regulation. Another Caudill layup moments later had the Commodores up 60-51 with 4:13 left.
But Butler stepped up its pressure in the fourth and climbed back in it. A Marquis Dorsey three-pointer sparked an 11-2 Butler run. During the stretch, Perry Central committed three charges, the last by play-maker DeAndre Reed who left the game with five fouls at the 1:29 mark.
“We kind of lost our momentum. We lost our focus,” Perry Central Coach Shannon Hoskins said. “I thought we made some of our own mistakes, and I, personally, thought that when we were getting in the lane, a couple of times, maybe, we were going too far, or, maybe, we didn’t get there quick enough, and we just got the raw end of the deal on that.”
Butler’s Cameron Underwood took two of those charges.
“I just knew we needed a couple of stops to get us back in the game. We needed to do it any way we could,” he said.
Both teams had opportunities to win it in regulation. Butler with the ball and less than 19 seconds left turned it over. Perry Central’s fast break got broken up with a deflection out of bounds, giving the Commodores 1.9 seconds and an inbounds under the basket to win it. A play for Noah Back got a good look for a three-pointer, but it rimmed out as time expired, sending the game to overtime.
“I let it go, and it felt good, but sadly, it didn’t fall,” Back said.
Caudill led PCC with 21 points. Back had 17. Butler was led by Underwood with 20 and Willard Minter with 19.
Eastern Kentucky teams — those from the 13th through 16th regions — fell to 0-7 against Louisville teams (6th and 7th regions). Trinity defeated Johnson Central, 70-28, in the first round Wednesday.
This story was originally published March 7, 2019 at 1:57 PM.
