A final defensive stop secured the unbeaten start for the Aviators continued as they held off a feisty Xenia squad 56-53 Friday at the Vandalia Butler Student Activity Center.
Credit: Steven Wright
Xenia inbounded the ball near midcourt with 20.1 seconds to play and rotated several three-point threats along the perimeter. The situation made it a bit easier for Butler to know what shot was coming with Xenia feeling there wasn’t enough time to go for a layup and hope for an opportunity to foul after. The first career block by senior Troy Fletcher kept Xenia’s final shot well away from danger.
“We changed up a little bit defensively, just enough to kind of try to hurry them up a little bit,” Butler head coach Andy Holderman said. “I don’t know if it really hurried them, or if it just was the nature of the best at the end of the game, but Troy picked a great time to get that first block.”
All of Butler’s (6-0, 6-0 MVL) wins have come against Miami Valley League competition so far, including a 58-53 win at Troy on Dec. 12. Xenia (2-2, 2-2) gave the Aviators its best test and forced them to prove they could put a game away at the free throw line where they mostly succeeded.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
“You’ve got to take care of your home wins. And then hopefully you can get what you can get on the road,” Holderman said. “At this point, it’s all about the ‘W’ and then you move on to the next one. So hopefully we get better each game and I feel like we are moving towards that direction.”
Xenia trailed by as many as 14 points late in the first half. Senior Julius Rusk dominated play in the first and second quarters for Butler, scoring 15 of his 25 points by getting to the free throw line. He eventually found foul trouble, which sent him to the bench as Xenia began its comeback.
A pair of baskets in the final 30 seconds of the first half trimmed the deficit for the Buccaneers to 29-19 at the break. Xenia then outscored Butler 16-9 in the third as junior Devin Withers drained a three near the buzzer to make it a three-point game.
Rusk’s final field goal came on a dunk with 7:13 remaining. He was called for a technical foul after hanging on the rim for an extended period, which allowed Xenia senior Eli Winegarner to get those points back with a pair of free throws. Winegarner then hit a jumper on the ensuing possession to put Xenia in front for the first time in the game.
“I really like this team. We’re trying to fill in young guys with our older group, and I thought they did a good job overall,” Xenia head coach Jason Caudill said. “Once we kind of changed up a few things defensively, I felt like we finally got into the groove of the game.”
The next two-plus minutes saw both teams hit four jumpers and two threes as they flip flopped leads six times.
Withers hit a three with 5:20 to play, and Butler senior Charlie Neely responded with one of his own 29 seconds after to give Butler a lead back it didn’t relinquish.
“In the years past, we’ve lost games that way,” Holderman said. “But this team has shown some heart and some maturity.”
Butler didn’t make a shot from the field over the final 2:58, but hit six of eight free throw attempts to build a seven-point lead.
Credit: Steven Wright
Credit: Steven Wright
Xenia again didn’t go away with Withers hitting a pair of foul shots and sophomore Jaxon Austin connecting on a corner three to make it a one-possession game again. But Butler’s defense held up.
“They were hitting some unbelievable shots, even off balance. They can flat out shoot,” Holderman said. “They’re athletic and we knew that going in dribble drives were what we needed to stop. I felt like we did a pretty good job, but they shot the ball well.”
Rusk was supported by 10 points from senior Cam Neely.
Withers had 22 points and Winegarner added 10 for Xenia.
“It’s always tougher to make shots at the end, and we’re a team that’s always going to depend on our defense,” Caudill said. “We weren’t able to get a couple stops there at the end and our Troy game went the same way.”
Butler has one game remaining in 2025, travelling to Sidney on Dec. 29. Xenia next plays Legacy Christian in the Xenia Classic on Monday at the John Wooden Family Fieldhouse.
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