[Stardust]

BOWLING GREEN, KY. — It was ugly, but coach Larry Just didn’t seem to mind after his Butler High School girls’ basketball team moved on in the Houchens Industries/KHSAA Sweet 16.

Cora Moore scored a team-high 12 points and Mackenzie Martinez hit some clutch free throws in the final minute as the Bearettes beat Glasgow 54-49 on Wednesday in E.A. Diddle Arena.

The game was marred by 60 turnovers, including 33 by Butler.

“It doesn’t have to be pretty,” Just said. “The bottom line is you advance. Right now you’re one of eight teams still playing for a state championship, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Butler (24-9), No. 19 in The Courier-Journal’s Litkenhous Ratings, advanced to face Paul Dunbar in Friday’s 1 p.m. EST quarterfinal.

Moore hit 4 of 9 three-point tries for her 12 points. Martinez and Danielle Lawrence each pitched in 10 points, with Martinez adding five assists and five steals. Aareon Smith had nine points and nine rebounds.

Haley Perkins (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Shalika Smith (15 points, 11 rebounds) posted double-doubles for No. 13 Glasgow (28-5), which was making its Sweet 16 debut.

Despite his team’s 27 turnovers, Glasgow coach Justin Stinson said Butler’s 38-31 rebounding advantage was the key.

“We get a couple more of those, and maybe the outcome could be totally different,” Stinson said.

Making its third straight Sweet 16 appearance, Butler looked like the inexperienced team early with turnovers on nine of its first 11 possessions.

Glasgow took advantage, taking a 13-2 lead on Kelsey Greer’s jumper at the 2:29 mark.

“The turnovers started to hurt our purpose defensively,” Just said. “We knew what we were supposed to do, but we got frustrated offensively, and then we started having breakdowns defensively.”

Moore’s 3-pointer pulled Butler within 15-11 with 7:30 left in the second quarter, and the Bearettes took their first lead, 17-16, on Miah Casey’s basket at the 6:07 mark.

Just said the key to the second quarter was pushing the tempo, which flustered Glasgow.
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