The North Butler girls and boys basketball teams held on for a pair of down to the wire wins over Hampton-Dumont-CAL in non-conference to begin their 2026 slate on Monday, as aired on 104.9 KLMJ. The Bearcats girls won 36-34 and the boys won 52-46.
In the girls game, defense set the tone for the game from start to finish. North Butler never trailed in the first half and led 18-14 at the break. HD-CAL kept within striking distance throughout the third quarter and tied the game at 25 entering the fourth. The Bulldogs trailed 35-33 with 4.3 seconds left and had a chance to tie the game at the free throw line. The Bulldogs made one of two shots to get within 35-34, but didn’t have another shot opportunity in the contest. Jady Thorne and Eden Wix led the Bearcats with 11 points apiece. Head Coach Jordan Nolz’s reflection on a competitive matchup.
“It was close pretty much the whole way through the game. Not really any big runs throughout the game. A lot of offensive struggles, a little bit of chaos on and off. A good way to start the new year with the win, that’s the big thing right there,” says Nolz. “Jady finally found her shot again. First game of the year, she started out setting the school record. She then got a little cold there for a bit. It’s nice to see her back with confidence and ready to go. That’s awesome. Then Eden had 11, but she could have had 20 something. She struggled finishing at the rim. She’ll have that sometimes. We look for her to continue to work in that paint.”
MacKenzy Valley paced the Bulldogs with 22 points.
Head Coach Miranda Stafford says scoring depth and consistency are areas of improvement.
“We’ve got to find a way to get some other girls to score, to get somebody else in double digits. Then be a little bit more consistent. Only scoring 14 in the first half there. Once again, our defense kept us in the game and kept it low scoring to give ourselves a chance.”
In the boys game, North Butler established an inside-out game in the first half to build up a 25-15 lead at the break. The Bearcats knocked the three ball in addition to their post play in the second half, to multiply their advantage to as great as 44-30 in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs with a 16-6 scoring run trimmed the deficit to 50-46 with under a minute left to play. The Bearcats didn’t allow the Bulldogs to rally any closer. Wrigley Endelman led the Bearcats with 12 points and says the matchup was beneficial.
“I thought it was a big win. They have really big guys. I thought playing people that aren’t our size are good for us. We executed pretty well,” says Endelman. “We’re hoping to carry the momentum into tomorrow night versus West Fork and get a big conference win.”
Brady Harr led the Bulldogs with 33 points.
The North Butler girls (4-5) and the boys (4-3) will travel to West Fork on Tuesday. It will air on 99 The Wave. The Hampton-Dumont-CAL girls (2-7) and the boys (2-5) will visit Iowa Falls-Alden on Tuesday. It will air on 104.9 KLMJ.
