BOYS BASKETBALL: Butler’s 5 treys highlight Titans’ rout of Indians
Published 8:49 pm Thursday, January 18, 2018
If Port Arthur Memorial has to play 2 hours earlier than normal, Jyson Butler might be fine with it.
Memorial’s senior sixth-man and guard fired five three-point baskets, most of them in the second half, and the 5A fourth-ranked Titans won their 11th game in a row, 86-40 at home over Port Neches-Groves on Thursday night.
“They just kept giving me the ball, and I just kept hitting wide-open shots,” Butler said. He led all scorers with 21 points, nailing four of his five three-pointers in the second half.
The Titans (19-5, 6-0 in 22-5A) have been accurate from three-point range this season, and they proved it Thursday with 11 makes from the perimeter. Darion Chatman, who finished with 14 points, knocked down two treys.
But Thursday was Butler’s night.
“If he’s open, he can shoot the ball,” Memorial coach Kenneth Coleman said.
Thursday’s game was pushed back two days because of icy road conditions in the area, and the decision was made to cancel the sub-varsity contests between the two schools, prompting a 5:30 p.m. start. (The start time was originally announced for 5 p.m.)
Also Thursday, the Memorial players had to remain focused while dealing with a city-wide boil order that was enacted as a result of water leaks and busted pipes following the sub-freezing weather. Restrooms at the gymnasium were locked.
“You’re talking about 16-, 17-, 18-year-old kids, but that’s hard to [focus],” Coleman said. “Adversity is designed to rob you of your success, so the most successful people in life are able to handle adversity. This was a good opportunity to grow up.”
Meanwhile, Memorial kept its field goal shooting hot and led PNG by double digits by the 2:45 mark of the first period, when a Chatman three made it 17-6.
Memorial’s defense was as stingy as its offense was hot, holding PNG (11-15, 1-5) to seven first-quarter points and building a 42-19 halftime lead.
“Defense and intensity,” Butler said, helped Memorial build its winning string.
“That’s what we emphasize,” Coleman said. “Being able to stop people on consecutive trips as many times as we can, is the key to separating from people.”
Thailan Wesley had 12 points in the win. Drake Rojas was the Indians’ only double-digit scorer with 20, connecting on four threes in the process.
Memorial will visit Livingston on Friday night, while PNG welcomes Lumberton.
Memorial’s girls varsity team will host Livingston at 5:30 p.m. Friday. No sub-varsity games will be held.
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I.C. Murrell: 721-2435. Twitter: @ICMurrellPANews