Butler Powers Past Fort Hays Tech, Returns to Region 6 Semifinals

EL DORADO, Kan. – The No. 2 seeded Butler Grizzlies are heading back to the Region 6 Semifinals for the fifth straight season after a 101–87 win over Fort Hays Tech on Tuesday night.

Butler (22–9) returns to the semifinals for the fifth consecutive year and for the second straight season under second-year head coach Eric Nitsche. The Grizzlies will face No. 6 seed Cowley on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Fleske Fieldhouse in Great Bend. Cowley advanced after upsetting No. 3 seed Dodge City, 76–69.

Friday's matchup will be a rematch of last year's Region 6 Semifinal, where Cowley ended Butler's season in a 58–54 heartbreaker.

Fort Hays Tech (16–16) scored the opening basket of the game, but that was the only time the Tigers held a lead. Butler quickly responded with a 5–2 advantage and never trailed again.

The Grizzlies built an 18-point lead with just under five and a half minutes left in the first half and appeared poised to pull away early. However, Fort Hays Tech continued to battle, hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer to trim Butler's lead to 51–43 at halftime.

Butler shot the ball extremely well in the opening half, going 18-of-34 from the field and 9-of-21 from beyond the arc.

The second half followed a similar script. Leading by 10 with 16:14 remaining, Butler strung together three straight scoring possessions from Tim Walker II and Tristan Hankins, stretching the lead to 18 in a matter of seconds. The Grizzlies took their largest lead of the night at 84–59 after a Devin Kerr fast-break layup with just over nine minutes to play.

Fort Hays Tech couldn't keep pace with Butler's tempo, and the Grizzlies closed out the 101–87 victory.

Tuesday's performance marked the 16th time this season Butler has reached the 100-point mark. Their 53 percent shooting from the field was the second-highest of the year, trailing only the 61.9 percent effort in a 114–95 win over Western Nebraska on November 8.

Fort Hays Tech shot 44.1 percent from the floor and went 10-of-25 from three. Butler forced 17 Tiger turnovers, converting them into 31 points.

Hankins, who was held scoreless in the first half, erupted for 17 points in the second to lead the Grizzlies. He finished 5-of-10 from the field. Walker II provided a major spark off the bench with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting. In his final game inside the Power Plant, sophomore Josiah Kirkwood delivered 16 points, four rebounds, and six assists.