Garden City stuns No. 24 Butler

Garden City, KS-College basketball in 2023 is as unpredictable as it's ever been. Saturday definitely proved that. 

Dayshwana Carter played arguably her most complete game of the season, scoring 26 points while never coming off the floor, Demi Black chipped in 13, and Garden City knocked off No. 24 Butler, 68-65 at Conestoga Arena. The Broncbusters improved to 10-19 overall and 6-17 in league play. 

"This is a big confidence builder for us," Head Coach, Antwain Scales said afterwards. "I'm really proud of these young ladies."

Taya Davis dropped 15 dimes, her sixth-double digit assist game of the season for Garden City, and Stevi Yancy nailed four more 3s in 28 minutes off the bench. The Broncbusters shot 40 percent as a team and were 7-of-14 from long range. 

For the most part, Garden City dominated this game. After falling down 11-2, the Broncbusters rattled off 20 straight points, turning a nine-point deficit into a 22-11 lead following Ariyah Brooks' layup that made it 22-11 90 seconds into the second period. Incredibly during that stretch, Garden City held Butler scoreless for nearly nine minutes. They were up 13 at the half.  

"We did a lot of good things in this game," Scales mentioned. "Yes, we did let them back in it, but we were able to finish, and now we start getting ready for Hutch."

The Broncbusters led by as many as 18 in the third and by 14 heading to the final quarter. That's when things got interesting.  

After limiting the Grizzlies to just 35 points through three quarters, Butler erupted for 30 in the fourth. Randi Harding's 3-pointer with 32 seconds left, trimmed the Broncbuster lead to 65-62. After Davis knocked down two clutch free throws to stretch the advantage back to five, Jalia Harding nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing. The Grizzlies then fouled Davis again. 

"We kept the girls out at halftime instead of going back into the locker room," Scales said. "We did that because we've seen them get complacent the last couple of games." 

The strategy, for the most part worked, although Davis missed a clinching free throw to keep it a one-possession game in the final seconds. With a chance to tie it though, Harding's triple was short, giving the Broncbusters their first statement win of the season. 

Davis scored nine points for Garden City, finishing 7-of-8 from the line. As a team, the Broncbusters finished 19-of-24 from the stripe. 

(Randi) Harding finished with 18 points for the Grizzlies, which has now alternated wins in their last five games. Freddie Wallace added 15, and Kaylee Nero scored 10 off the bench.