Butler gets their revenge; eliminates Xenia in a rematch

New divisions mean more locations needed in boys basketball and postseason 2025. Division III basketball got a head start on sectional action with a Miami Valley League rematch between Vandalia Butler and Xenia over at Centerville High School. Butler entered the postseason as the 3-seed and looking for some revenge against the Buccs. The last time the 2 met, Xenia defeated the Aviators 62-60, despite a 35-point outing by Julius Rusk from Butler. The Aviators entered the contest having dropped their last 2 games, while Xenia was coming off a huge win over Fairborn.
 
Butler got going offensively early with the first 8 points of the game coming from Kellen Vandervort.  Xenia wouldn’t get their first points until Gavin McManus buried a 3PT shot at the 5-minute mark and was one of the few bright points for the Buccs. Turnovers plagued them in transition, in the half-court and against any full court pressure. Even with the issues on offense, Xenia was in a good spot throughout the game and ended the quarter down 14-10.
 
Offense continued to be an issue to start the next quarter of play. It took about 2 minutes of missed shots before Charlie Neely made a 3PT shot to end the drought. Butler would balloon the lead slightly.
 
Devin Withers took it upon himself to pick up the slack and get the Buccs into a groove.
 
Withers would make a 3PT shot after Neely broke the ice as Xenia upped their ball pressure, but this game turned into a broken record with the repeat. Withers and Cayden Smith would attack the rim and score for Xenia in the paint. Butler would break the press on the ensuing possession and score pretty quickly. The back-and-forth continued as Butler took a halftime lead 28-26.
 
It felt like Xenia had found their rhythm and was in a place where if they were able to keep the game within 5 points, they had a chance to pull the upset.
 
instead, Butler offensively left their foot on the gas and continued to take advantage of breaking Xenia’s press. The Aviators were leaning on Vandervort, who was playing out of his mind offensively. Butler would extend the lead to 7 points around the halfway point of the quarter. With the points being scored against the press, Xenia settled into a jump trap which began to pay dividends.
 
Xenia would get a stop, but then get a turnover or offensive foul called.
 
The balancing act stayed on the side of the Aviators as Butler extended their halftime lead to 47-39 at the end of the third quarter.
 
With only a quarter left to play, Xenia made their final adjustment; win the offensive glass. Having plenty of athletes, the Buccs started attacking missed shots and getting some opportunities around the rim. They were winning that battle, but they continued to get beat in transition, as Butler would push the tempo when they could. While Xenia would not stop offensively, they were showing signs of slowing.
 
Butler would hang on and defeat Xenia for the 2nd time and avenge their loss just 22 days prior with a 66-57 win. Kellen Vandervort, who scored 6 points in the last meeting, led all scorers with 30 points, on 11-of-13 shooting. It was a season high for the senior guard as he took advantage of standout Julius Rusk receiving attention defensively and picked up that slack.
 
The win secured a spot for the Aviators in the District Semifinals. While they wouldn’t know at the time, they would be facing Chaminade-Julienne Eagles. C-J struggled in their game, beating Belmont 53-45 later that evening. That win set up a top 5 seed showdown at Centerville High School on February 25th.