Butler 39 @ Tippecanoe 54 Recap

<p>In a battle between two of the top teams in the MVL, Tippecanoe remained unbeaten with a grind out victory over Butler. Butler was playing without leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="1042161" first="Tyler" last="Montague"], which really hurt their offense in the half-court. Despite some cold shooting in the first quarter, an advantage on the glass and a quick 5-0 run by Griffin Caldwell helped the Red Devils 14-7 lead at the end of one quarter. Caldwell would be key all night for Tippecanoe, as his timely shooting helped keep the lead comfortable for Tippecanoe throughout the evening. Efficient scoring seems to be Caldwell’s biggest strength as he’s shooting 60% from the field this season. Butler trailed by 11 at halftime, but continued to battle, making little runs throughout the third and fourth quarters to keep the game competitive until about two minutes left. The loss of Montague really hurt the Aviators as they 5/15 from 3-point range and 2/10 from the free-throw line. Connor Bucchanan was a bright spot for Butler in a losing effort. He showed some nice post moves, crashed the offensive glass and defended the rim. Bucchanan finished the night one rebound short of a double-double, but going 1/6 from the free-throw line left key points on the table for Butler. Here were the top performers from the game.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="714540" first="Ben" last="Knostman"] 6’4 Tippecanoe 2021: Knostman is the best passer I’ve evaluated in my three years that I’ve been scouting the Buckeye state. At his size he can see over the defense and kill you with the pass from a variety of areas on the court with both of his hands. I did think Butler sold out at times too much on his drives, as some of his drive and kicks were very simple reads. Knostman does have the length to finish over defenders at the high school level, using a little righty hook shot off the glass after a spin move often. I’ll be interested to see how well he finishes at the rim at the next level against better rim protectors. Knostman also should develop his 3-point shot, he’s only attempted 12 3-pointers in seven games this year. Teams can go under screens against him with basically no fear of him pulling up from 3-point range.</p> <p>Zach Frederick, 6’5 PF Tippecanoe 2021: Frederick is the leading scorer for the Red Devils, taking advantage of Knostman’s distribution skills. Frederick has the ultimate green light from 3-point range, missing three in a row to open the game before hitting his fourth immediately after. A bit of a cold outside shooting game could be expected because even after this 2/7 game, he’s still making 50% of his 3-pointers this season. Frederick has been putting up consistent scoring numbers, scoring 13 or more points in every game this season. D3 programs looking for a stretch 4 should give Frederick a look.</p>