GAMEDAY IN THE GREENHOUSE: Seward County vs. Butler

The grueling 19 game Jayhawk Conference schedule begins tonight in the Greenhouse as the #8 Seward County Lady Saints host the red hot Butler Lady Grizzlies in the two teams league opener.  

     Despite the rivalry heating up in recent years, Seward has dominated the series between the two, holding a 51-21 all-time advantage.  Butler has won two of the past three meetings between the Lady Saints and Lady Grizzlies, but prior to that, the Seward had won 26 straight against Butler.  Last season Seward and Butler split their season series, each winning on one another's home floor.  The Grizzlies win here in the Greenhouse marked their first victory in Liberal since the 1995 season, breaking a 19 game Seward win streak at home against Butler. 

     Seward comes into conference action tonight 7-1 overall.  The Lady Saints will play tonight for the first time in nine days after a pair of blowout wins in the Billy's/Days Inn Classic on November 20-21 here in the Greenhouse.  Seward has been solid on both sides of the ball so far this year, shooting 46% from the field as a team while holding their opponents to just under 30% shooting.  The Lady Saints have been led by sophomores Daniela Galindo and Axelle Bernard in the early going.  Galindo leads the team at 16.6 points per game including a school record 50 point effort three weeks ago, while Bernard is averaging a double-double on the year with 11.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. 

     Butler might have had a more impressive non-conference resume than any other team in the Jayhawk Conference, coming into tonight as the only 10 win team in the league at 10-1.  The Grizzlies picked up a big win over State Fair early in the season and have two wins over Region IX power Otero including a 91-43 thumping of the Rattlers Tuesday in La Junta.  The Grizzlies are a relentless bunch on the defensive end, allowing their opponents to shoot just 27% on the year while holding them to under 45 points per game.  Offensively, the Grizzlies lean on Tamara Lee and Kyeria Hannah, an inside/out duo combining to average just over 23 points per game on the year.