BUTLER TWP — You could call them the Surviving Six.

The remaining players on the Butler County Community College women's basketball team — Michaella Roth, Alexis Barnhart, Nicole Hartman, Jenna Heitzenrater, Skye Wessel and Casey Kretzer — should be called the Thriving Six.

BC3 (5-19) won the Western Pa. Collegiate Conference championship for the fourth time in five years last weekend, defeating Westmoreland CC 43-36 in the title game.

The Pioneers began the season with nine players — and with a 1-16 record.

“Some of the girls just couldn't keep up their schedules with school and work,” freshman guard Michaella Roth of Slippery Rock said. “They had to drop off.

“We've come together and we're playing better together.”

BC3 has won four of its last seven games and takes on Anne Arundel (10-12) in the Region XX semifinals at 2 p.m. Saturday at Westmoreland. A win there would likely pit the Pioneers against Prince George (12-12) in the region title game.

“I feel like we can get this done,” sophomore forward Heitzenrater of Slippery Rock said. “We rely on our defense to win games and we're improving in that area with every game.”

BC3 coach Dick Hartung has brought in members of the Pioneer men's team — which he also coaches — to play against the women during some practices.

“That's really helped us,” Hartung said. “It enables us to use the whole floor. Sometimes I'll pull in a guy I see on campus if I know he can play a little basketball.

“Our guards can score. We rely on shooting 3's a lot. Our inside players are scrappy. These girls have worked hard.

“This team is radically different from the one we started with back in October and November,” Hartung added.

Sophomore guard Kretzer from Knoch and Heitzenrater are the only players back from last year's team, which also finished 5-19 and had the program's all-time leading scorer in Karns City graduate Mackenzie Craig.

Kretzer leads the team with 16.2 points and four assists per game. Roth is netting 13.5 points per game. Barnhart, who played at First Baptist, averages 8.2 points and 10 rebounds per contest. Wessel is the other starter with 6-foot-0 forward Hartman from First Baptist coming off the bench.

Wessel, a guard and Seneca Valley graduate, was recruited from the Pioneer softball team.

“She may be the best athlete on the team,” Hartung said.

Most of the players hold down jobs while attending school, studying nursing or business.

“These are busy girls,” Hartung said.

So busy, in fact, that Roth has developed into the team's practice coordinator of sorts.

“We never practice on any kind of regular schedule,” she said. “I get with the other players, find out their schedules and figure out the available time each day we can get together for practice.

“Today we're practicing at 5 p.m. Tomorrow we're practicing at 12:30. It varies all the time and the coaches work with us.”

Kathy Wood is a veteran assistant coach on the team and Jordan Sager — who played for the BC3 men's team last year — is a first-time assistant coach.

“I love basketball and Coach Hartung asked me if I wanted to help out this year,” Sager said. “It's been fun watching this team get better and better.

“They're playing harder. They know each other's skills and strengths. The improvement is very noticeable.”

The schedule has helped as well.

“It's a little softer now,” Hartung admitted. “Earlier in the year, we were playing a lot of (NJCAA)Division I and II schools. Now we're playing Division III opponents, programs on our level, and we're holding our own.

“Kretzer and Roth ... Those two never leave the floor. They're playing 40 minutes a game.”

Anne Arundel has seven players. Should BC3 run up against Prince George on Sunday, it will be facing a 12-player squad.

“They'll try to run us and press us to death,” Hartung said. “They'll come at us in waves. That will be a challenge.”

Heitzenrater still believes the Pioneers can succeed.

“With only two returning players, we're much younger than last year,” she said. “There's not a lot of us, but we know each other well now and we're playing with confidence.

“It was an adjustment, playing with such a small roster. But we've gotten past that. We're making it work.”