Evangel Christian tops Butler County in battle between Sweet 16 first-timers

Neither Butler County nor Evangel Christian had ever played in a Sweet 16 game until Thursday afternoon — and only one school would advance to its first-ever quarterfinals.

Despite Butler County bringing half of Morgantown — a small city of roughly 2,500 in western Kentucky — with it to Rupp Arena, it was the No. 5 Evangel Christian Eagles that came out on top, 71-60. Evangel Christian led for nearly the entire game, holding the Butler County Bears’ star junior, Ty Price (averaging 29.6 PPG coming in), to just 12 points on 5-20 shooting.

Eagles’ senior guard Isaiah Chitapa had the challenge of shutting down Price, and he stepped up. Price missed all 10 of his shots from deep and turned the ball over seven times. Evangel head coach Larry Miller game planned around stopping Price first and foremost. Chitapa and the rest of the Eagles’ defense executed.

“I’ve never really been an offensive guy, for me to earn my spot on the team I had to play defense,” Chitapa said. “So I just locked in on defense. That’s my way of getting on the floor.”

“He’s got a lot of guts and a lot of heart,” Coach Miller added.

In addition to 10 points and eight rebounds from Chitapa, Evangel Christian received 21 points from senior Christian Doerr along with 18 more plus six rebounds from freshman Davier White. The Eagles shot 50 percent from the field and forced the Bears into 15 turnovers, leading to the victory and a spot in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Lawson Rice chipped in 19 points and six rebounds for Butler County while Justin Castlen contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds on 4-7 shooting from deep. However, the Bears gave up 17 points off turnovers. Butler County had multiple opportunities to take control of the game, but could never get over the hump.

“I’ve got a really good team. They’re tough. They worked their butts off,” Butler County head coach Calvin Dockery said. “They encourage me every day to try to be better. So while I am disappointed with the loss that is not the outcome that we came here for.

“We did not come here for moral victories. Or just to say we were glad to be here. But we did learn some things. If we get the opportunity to come back again, we’ll embrace it.”

Evangel Christian, No. 5 in KSR’s pre-Sweet 16 rankings, came in as the clear favorite (even if you couldn’t tell from the mostly Butler County contingent), and the Eagles looked like it early on. A pair of three-pointers pushed Evangel ahead to a quick 10-4 lead a few minutes into the game. Butler County never backed down though — a trend throughout the afternoon — and responded with five straight.

The back-and-forth affair was officially underway. By the end of the first quarter, the Eagles controlled an 18-15 advantage.

The start of the second quarter saw Butler County take its first lead since the opening minutes. A triple from Castlen gave the Bears a 20-18 edge. But it didn’t take long for Evangel to counter and regain the momentum. The Eagles went up by five midway through the quarter and stretched it to nine points by the halftime break.

Butler County began to break down in the closing minutes of the half, turning the ball over five times in the final 2:06 of play. Evangel took full advantage, bringing a 35-26 lead into the locker room. Price was held to just six points on 3-12 shooting for the Bears, while Evangel shot at a 56 percent clip.

The Eagles maintained a slight lead throughout most of the third quarter. Although it never grew to double-digits, Butler County was unable to get back in front. The Bears even made it a one-point game, 42-41, with 2:18 in the third. But again, Evangel had a response for every Butler County run.

Just like that, it was back to an eight-point edge for Evangel Christian heading into the final frame.

Butler County — and their large gathering of fans — did all they could to get back into the game with their season on the line. The Bears were always within striking distance, but every time they had an opportunity to take a lead or cut into the deficit, a turnover or missed shot resulted in points the other way.

Castlen cashed in a must-have three-pointer for the Bears with under two minutes in regulation, but it was still a 61-56 lead for Evangel. The Eagles then made more than enough free throws down the stretch. In the end, Evangel’s talent level was just too much for Butler County to overcome.

Don’t be shocked if the Bears are back at Rupp Arena this time next season though. Butler County is young with no seniors on the roster. The team’s four leading scorers this season (Price, Rice, Castlen, and Briar Griffin) are all juniors and will be back in 2024-25.

Meanwhile, the Eagles advance to take on the winner of Pulaski County-Trinity on Friday at 8:30 p.m. EST inside Rupp Arena.