The North Butler boys basketball team’s season ended on Monday night as they fell to the Saint Ansger 57-52, which aired on 99 The Wave.
The Bearcats trailed through much of the first quarter until Jarrett Shear hit a mid-court three as time was expiring to give the Bearcats a one point lead. In the second, the Bearcats were outscored by the Saints by 4 points, giving the Saints a three point lead heading into the break. The Bearcats finished the first half with four three-pointers behind the long-range shooting of Ezra Almelien, Wade Wangsness, Jarrett Shear, and Wrigley Endelman.
In the second half, the Bearcats were outscored 30-28 as the Bearcats 3-point shooting would go cold. Almelien was the only Bearcat to find a long-range bucket in the second half as the Saints found success behind the scoring of Derek Hemann who had 14 in the second half. With less than 10 seconds left, the Bearcats would get the game within two, after a 3-pointer from Almelien, but a foul after the shot would send Hemann to the line and he would sink both shots to seal the victory.
Wrigley Endelman would lead the Bearcats with 14. The team’s lone senior, Jax Thorne, finished with 12.
“It’s unfortunate ending to our season,” says Guerrero. “We had a lot of highs this year. We were rolling and playing very good basketball. Albeit a loss, it still wasn’t a lower caliber game for us. It’s just St. Ansgar matched the energy level, got a lot more 50-50 balls, and just kind of came out on top and played a little better down the stretch when they needed.”
The Bearcats close the 2025-26 season with a 12-9 record.
