Growing pains
FOX CHAPEL — Butler arrived in the WPIAL playoffs a year early, in coach Joe Lewandowski's estimation.
But a seasoned opponent was waiting for it.
Defending WPIAL Class AAAA champion Norwin helped create 25 Golden Tornado turnovers in running away with a 52-26 Class 6A playoff win Tuesday night at Fox Chapel High School.
“They have a great program and we were fortunate to get the chance to play them,” Lewandowski said. “They took control of this game.
“Their seniors pretty much said this is our time and we're going to make the most of it. Hopefully, our seniors do that same thing next year.”
Butler (10-12) had no seniors on this year's team.
The Golden Tornado hung close early, using an 8-0 run to take an 8-6 lead midway through the first quarter. The Knights (17-5) answered that with a 7-0 run of their own.
“Basketball is all about runs,” Norwin coach Brian Brozeski said. “You want to maximize yours and minimize theirs as best you can.”
When Jenna Kuntz canned a layup with 3:25 left in the first half, Butler trailed only 15-12.
Then Norwin ran away.
A 10-0 run, highlighted by a pair of layups and a 3-pointer by junior guard Magen Polczynski off the bench, hiked the Norwin lead to 25-12 just before halftime. The Knights outscored the Tornado 15-7 in the third quarter to put the game away.
“Magen has always been a sparkplug for us,” Brozeski said. “Whether we need a boost defensively or a boost offensively, she can provide it.
“Butler did a good job with its defense early and they were shutting us down. We made some necessary adjustments.”
Brozeski wouldn't detail what those adjustments were — but they worked.
“Our plan was to force them into a half-court game and we were able to hang with them when we did that,” Lewandowski said. “But good teams dictate tempo. Their defense forced us into mistakes and it got away from us.”
Norwin's lead peaked at 52-25 with 1:59 left in the game.
The Knights have six seniors — including one returning starter in guard Danielle McMaster — from last year's 27-1 WPIAL championship team.
“They have a really good defense,” Kunst said. “Their trap was good. It confused us. It threw our offense out of rhythm.”Butler threw numerous errant passes to cause many of its 25 turnovers. Before emptying its bench, Norwin committed only nine turnovers through the first three quarters.“The turnovers were the game,” Lewandowski said.The Tornado closed the season on a seven-game losing streak.“We'd have liked a few more wins in there, sure, but we were dealing with injuries and illness down the stretch,” Lewandowski said. “The positive side of that is even more young players got some valuable experience.“We had freshmen on the floor at times who shouldn't have been playing varsity ball. But they gained some valuable experience and they'll grow from it.”McMaster led Norwin with 13 points, five assists and three steals. Abigail Gabauer contributed 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. Jessica Kolesar came off the bench to get four steals.Alyssa Eyth paced Butler with 11 points. Kunst had nine points and eight rebounds. Both went to the bench with four fouls during the third quarter.“I'm excited that all of our players are coming back,” Kunst said. “We definitely got better this year and we have to keep on getting better.”Lewandowski agreed.“We got to the playoffs a year ahead of schedule, in my view,” the coach said. “We took a leap this year. Now we're asking the girls to work even harder and take an even bigger leap next year.“They got a taste of the playoffs. Now we want to expand that. That's what it's all about.”BUTLER 26Nicole Pepmeyer 0-0 0-0 0, Audrey Hilliard 0-1 0-0 0, Mia Rader 0-1 0-0 0, Alyssa Eyth 5-11 1-1 11, Kylee Lewandowski 1-8 0-0 3, Emma Monteleone 0-0 1-2 1, Jenna Kunst 4-7 0-0 9, Julia Gibson 1-1 0-0 2, Emilee Altman 0-0 0-0 0, Jordan Kauffman 0-0 0-0 0 . Totals: 11-29 2-4 26.NORWIN 52Danielle McMaster 4-8 4-6 13, Taylor Ingel 1-7 0-0 3, Maura O'Donnell 0-0 0-0 0, Brittany O'Connell 2-4 2-2 6, Abigail Gabauer 5-7 1-2 12, Magen Polczynski 3-5 0-0 7, Jessica Kolesar 2-4 2-2 6, Kassidy Battiste 1-2 3-4 5, Jayla Wehner 0-0 0-0 0, Emily Brozeski 0-1 0-0 0, Olivia Gribble 0-2 0-0 0, Mia Nicholas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 18-40 12-16 52.Butler 8 6 7 5 — 26Norwin11 14 15 12 — 523-point goals: Lewandowski, Kunst; McMaster, Ingel, Gabauer, PolczynskiFriday:Norwin vs. Mt. Lebanon, site and time TBA
