Butera’s 30 Points Drives Mustangs to GCC Title over Battling Bees
Butera’s 30 Points Drives Mustangs to GCC Title over Battling Bees
The Strongsville lady Mustangs clinched a pulse-pounding 58-48 victory over the Medina Battling Bees in a packed house to secure the 2023-24 Greater Cleveland Conference championship with a 20-2 record (11-1 GCC).
Kicking off the game with Mustang’s senior Emily Dunlap making her last high school basket, before being embraced by her fellow teammates. The first half concluded with the Battling Bees up to a 22-21 lead over the Mustangs, with senior Izzy Kurka leading with 9 points, while freshman Sidney Butera led the half with 11 points.
The final 16 minutes of the game turned into a classic, with the Battling Bees and the Mustangs trading buckets back and forth. Early in the fourth, the Battling Bees took the lead over the Mustangs after key 3 pointers by junior Olivia Klanac. Down with less than 4 minutes left in the game, Butera took the game’s fate into her hands and did not disappoint, starting with a key 4 point play to give the Mustangs the lead 49-45. Butera followed that with another 3 from long range to extend their lead to 6 with a minute left, taking full control of the game and the atmosphere. After multiple defensive stops and key free throws, the Mustangs secured the win over the Battling Bees and the GCC title 58-48.
Concluding a classic of a league championship game, freshman Sidney Butera led the night with 30 points, making six 3’s in the process for the Mustangs, while junior Eszter Dioszegi followed with 10 points. For the Battling Bees, junior Olivia Klanac finished with 17 points, while senior Izzy Kurka followed with 12 points.
