Western basketball wins double-OT thriller over Butler, throws 22nd District into disarray

After two overtimes, two long delays to take care of injured fans and one heck of a boys basketball game, the race for the No. 1 seed in the 22^nd District remains unsettled.

Behind 25 points and 19 rebounds from Julius Edmonds, Western High School knocked off visiting Butler 84-76 in a double-overtime thriller Friday night.

“That’s one of those games where both teams played well enough and were more than deserving of the win,” Butler coach Kevin Geary said. “Unfortunately in games like that, somebody has to take home a loss. And unfortunately that was us tonight.”

Elijah Clinton and Trent Hinkle both added 15 points for Western (17-7). The Warriors, Butler and DeSales all have 3-1 records atop the district. The first tiebreaker is records against common Sixth Region opponents. The only one of those is Fern Creek.

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Butler beat Fern Creek 55-47 on Jan. 18. DeSales will play at Fern Creek next Wednesday, and Western will host Fern Creek next Friday. If DeSales and Western both beat Fern Creek, a blind draw would decide the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 seeds in the district. Iroquois will have the No. 4 seed in the district after Friday’s 70-48 victory over Doss.

Western coach Brandon Britt said seeding may not make a big difference, as all five teams are capable of winning the district tournament.

“There’s no easy games,” Britt said, “no freebies to go to the region.”

If Friday’s contest is any indication, the 22nd District Tournament at Doss will be one of the most compelling in the state.

Edmonds’ basket with 53 seconds left tied the score at 64 and forced the first overtime.

At the 3:37 mark of the first overtime, a Butler fan passed out in the bleachers. After a 15-minute delay, the student was alert and able to walk out of the gym.

Josiah Lawson hit 1 of 2 free throws with 3.4 seconds left to give Western a 74-71 lead, but Butler’s Dayton Williams made a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer to force a second overtime.

Williams led the Bears (17-7) with 30 points.

“One through 15, my kids just play hard,” Geary said. “When you have kids who do that and share the ball and there’s not jealously … this is a great group of kids. I’m proud as hell of how they played tonight.”

Western led 78-76 with 1:36 left in the second overtime when the second delay — lasting 20 minutes — took place. A Western student was injured behind a basket when a Western player crashed into the crowd. Before the game resumed, officials made fans lining both end zones find seats in the bleachers.

Britt said the delays affected both teams.

“Our guys have no excuses because they were getting the same delay we were getting,” he said. “You just have to keep pressing forward.”

His team down 79-76, Butler’s Markel Meriwether missed a 3-point try from the left corner with 32 seconds left. Two free throws by Hinkle and a 3-point play from Edmonds sealed Western’s victory.

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Both coaches agreed rebounding was the difference in the final overtime.

“We got some shots at the end we normally make,” Geary said. “To their credit, they kept us off the offensive boards … especially in the second overtime.”

Said Britt: “They beat us up on the glass early, and we’re the bigger team. I told the guys we had to go after them. We were standing around, not blocking out. We did a better job in the second half and overtimes.”

Fans of the 22^nd District will be keeping an eye on Fern Creek over the next week, but Geary joined Britt in agreeing that seeding may not be a huge factor come district tournament time.

After all, Geary’s Bears reached last year’s district final as the No. 4 seed.

“You want the one seed, but it doesn’t really matter,” Geary said. “In our district, there’s no easy game.”

BUTLER               15          18          17          14          10          2 - 76

WESTERN           17          13          17          17          10          10 - 84

Butler (17-7) – Dontre Russell 8, Dayton Williams 30, Markel Meriwether 3, Jaymone Clark 2, Jaron Sullivan 4, Jayden Perkins 5, Ben Hayes 6, Terry Walker 18.

Western (17-7) – Josiah Lawson 9, Ondre Wicks 7, Elijah Clinton 15, Julius Edmonds 25, Trent Hinkle 15, Jayden Miles 6, Jaylen Ellis 7.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.