Toppers ink guard

Yesterday was the first day of the late signing period and Western’s women’s basketball program has already signed another player for next year’s class.

Coach Mary Taylor Cowles signed 5-foot-5 guard Ashley Butler.

Butler has spent the past two seasons playing at St. Catherine College. She will have two years of eligibility left.

Butler averaged 20.6 points a game this season as well as grabbing 7.5 rebounds.

She is a Louisville naitive and graduated from DuPont Manual High School, where she was a 2002 Kentucky All-Star.

“Ashley is going to be a tremendous asset to our basketball team,” Cowles said in a press release.

“She is an extremely talented and knowledgable point guard that has done nothing but benefit from two years of Junior College play. I look for Ashley to come in and have an immediate impact next season.”

Her high school team twice made it to the state final four twice while she was there.

She now joins Brigjette Brown and Racquel Mattis in the 2004 recruiting class.

Brown and Mattis officially committed during the early fall signing period.

The Lady Toppers finished 20-14 last season and finished in a tie for first place in the Sun Belt Conference East Division.

The only departing senior is Elisha Ford, but Western has played short handed for the past two seasons. The added bodies will give Cowles more substitutes to work with.

-Danny Schoenbaechler