After the Lady Bears’ victory, the boys took the floor with intentions of sweeping the Tigers on court-warming night.

The Bears controlled the opening tip-off but couldn’t convert the possession into points, allowing the Tigers to strike first. Versailles quickly jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Lucas Davidson drove to the rack to get Butler on the board. Davidson’s bucket was followed by a Bears fast-break score that knotted the game at 4 apiece.

Following two technical free throws, the Tigers regained possession, added a post basket, and reclaimed a four-point advantage. Jesse Carter euro-stepped his way to a score, after which both teams traded buckets until Versailles found a rhythm and built an 18-10 lead, forcing Butler to take a timeout.

Out of the break, the Bears forced a turnover but were unable to convert on the other end. At the close of the first quarter, Butler trailed 19-11.

Versailles opened the second quarter with a reverse layup and quickly poured in a flurry of buckets to extend the lead to 26-11. Jake Chandler, trying to spark the offense, found himself at the free-throw line, where he went 1-for-2. Chandler’s free throw ignited a 7-2 Butler run that pulled the Bears within 10.

However, with the whistles favoring the Tigers, Versailles was able to stretch the lead back out before halftime and take a 37-23 advantage into the locker room.

The Bears opened the second half with a basket, followed quickly by a Tigers response. After some back-and-forth action, Versailles went on a 7-0 run. Trey Green knocked down a massive three-pointer to stop the bleeding. Trailing 48-32, Butler called a timeout.

Following the break, Jake Chandler forced a Tigers turnover by staying set and taking a charge. After three quarters of play, the Bears trailed 48-33.

Versailles opened the final period with a post basket. After a quick 4-0 spurt by the Tigers, Jake Chandler converted an and-one, which sparked a 6-2 Butler run. After a few more Versailles scores, the Bears surged back with another run, this time outscoring the Tigers 13-4 to cut the deficit to eight.

With just two minutes remaining, Carter sank a floater to trim the Versailles lead to 61-54. The Tigers responded immediately with a deep three to push the lead back to 10 with 1:51 remaining. Jesse Carter answered with a three of his own, and the ramped-up Bears pressure forced a Tigers timeout with 1:14 left.

While Butler battled hard in the fourth quarter, it was too little, too late, as Versailles had built enough of a cushion to hold on for a 70-57 victory. Though the Bears showed tremendous fight in a game where the odds seemed stacked against them, they ultimately came up short.

Walters led all scorers for the Tigers with 24 points.

For Butler, Carter finished with 20 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, followed by Chandler with 13 and DeLozier with 10.

Photos by Erin Dubray