WEXFORD — Butler succumbed to the pressure ... and on the scoreboard.

The Golden Tornado coughed up 27 turnovers — many leading to transition buckets the other way — in an 84-58 Section 3-AAAA boys basketball loss Tuesday night at North Allegheny.

“We just didn't do a good job of beating their press,” Butler coach Matt Clement said. “When we had a guy double-teamed and they had three guarding four, we weren't moving around.

“We were kind of just hanging out. That was a bad job on our part.”

Butler's only lead of the night was at 5-4 barely two minutes into the game. a Mark Gross layup cut a Tiger lead to 14-10 with 1:34 left in the opening quarter.

By the time the Tornado (5-2, 2-2) registered another field goal, the game was virtually over.

A 12-0 North Allegheny run — that included four layups off turnovers — gave the Tigers (8-0, 3-0) a 26-10 lead with 7:17 left in the first half. The margin was 34-14 before Gross sank a layup with 3:10 left before intermission.

The Tornado went five minutes and 24 seconds without a field goal.

“This was our best defensive effort of the season tonight,” NA coach Dave DeGregorio said. “We weren't thinking as much. We were doing a lot more reacting.”

Butler never got back in the game score-wise. The Tigers' lead peaked at 84-47 with 2:32 left to play. The Tornado scored the final 11 points of the contest.

Senior guard Cole Constantino paced the Tigers with 32 points, sinking 13 of 17 field goal attempts. All but one of his buckets — a 3-point shot — were layups.

“He's the type of player that if you don't step in there and take a charge, he's gonna bury his shoulder, drive to the bucket, spin, and keep scoring or going to the foul line,” Clement said.

Constantino entered the game averaging nearly 24 points per game.

“He's our top scorer,” DeGregorio said. “He's tough to stop inside.”

Jordan Lake added 12 points and eight rebounds for North Allegheny. Mike Fischer had seven steals and five assists, Will Sandherr six rebounds and three steals.

“Their pressure was the difference tonight,” Clement said. “They scored most of their points from it. We have to learn from this, adjust and move on.”

Justice Lewandowski and Mark Gross scored 11 points each for Butler. Tyler Frederick had 10 points and seven rebounds, Jake Anderson six rebounds and Kaden Rock three assists.

Butler will play three games in the Shady Side Academy Tournament over the holidays, including a 3:30 p.m. tip-off Saturday against South Park.

“This was a terrible performance,” Clement said. “The kids are having a tough time swallowing it and so am I. But we have to be men about it and figure out a way.

“It's early in the season and this tournament will be about us getting back on course. That's what we want to accomplish there.”

BUTLER 58

Damien Pickett 0-0 0-1 0, Kelley Kuharic 2-3 0-0 6, Kaden Rock 1-3 0-0 2, Jace Stutz 1-3 0-0 3, Justice Lewandowski 2-7 6-6 11, Keenan Krause 3-5 3-4 9, Andrew Paterno 0-4 0-0 0, Tyler Frederick 4-8 2-7 10, Jake Anderson 1-3 0-0 2, Joel Stutz 1-5 0-0 2, Eric Hindman 1-1 0-0 2, Mark Gross 5-6 1-3 11. Totals: 21-48 12-20 58.

NORTH ALLEGHENY 84

Isaiah Zeise 2-4 0-1 4, Mike Fischer 0-2 1-2 1, Ethan Maenza 1-1 0-0 3, Curtis Aiken 1-5 5-6 7, Will Sandherr 0-8 5-6 5, Keegan Phillips 3-6 0-0 8, Cole Constantino 13-17 5-6 32, Jordan Lake 6-9 0-0 12, Griffin Sestili 3-4 0-0 6, Blake Constantakis 1-2 0-0 2, Jake Beuth 1-2 0-0 2, Danny Caropresi 0-1 0-0 0, Luke Carter 0-1 0-0 0, Devin Bluemling 0-1 2-2 2. Totals: 31-63 18-23 84.

Butler 10 11 17 20 — 58

North Allegheny22 20 28 14 — 84

3-point goals: Kuharic 2, Lewandowski, Ja.Stutz; Maenza, Phillips 2, Constantino

JV: North Allegheny, 69-50 (B: Jason Gray 11, Connor Ollio 9; NA: Connor Altman 20, Ray Sandherr 11, Ryan Daugherty 10)

Saturday: South Park vs. Butler, Shady Side Academy Tournament, 3:30 p.m.