Butternut Pulls Away from Mellen With Strong Second Half, Wins 64–36

The Butternut girls returned home Tuesday looking to bounce back, and they did exactly that with a decisive 64–36 victory over Mellen. The first half featured two young teams trading blows, with the Midgets holding a narrow 27–24 lead at the break. Gracy Peters knocked down three first-half threes, while A. Kretzschmar consistently pressured the defense by attacking the lane and drawing fouls.

Butternut responded with key halftime adjustments, tightening up defensively and settling in after several missed opportunities early. The Midgets strung together three separate scoring runs in the second half, steadily extending their lead before pulling away for good.

Gianna Nahring led all scorers with a dominant 29-point, 12-rebound performance. Caitlynn Bebeau again set the pace in transition, adding 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Brooklynn Treml contributed 8 points and controlled the boards with 15 rebounds, while Lizzie Pritzl added 5 points, 6 rebounds, and strong all-around defensive play. Ellie Kolar and Grace Kuhn were also key in slowing down Kretzschmar and Peters after halftime, with the Mellen duo finishing with 10 and 13 points respectively.

Mellen drops to 1–1 (1–3 overall). Butternut improves to 2–0 (2–2 overall) and will travel to Mercer on Friday.