FOX CHAPEL - First, Adam Monday got hot. Then it was Jerrod Markle's turn.

Butler's guards couldn't penetrate Fox Chapel's zone, so they tried shooting over the top of it.

The Golden Tornado got on top. They just couldn't stay there as the Foxes scrapped their way to a 51-49 Section 3-AAAA boys basketball victory Tuesday night.

"I've seen most of Butler's games and they get a lot of points from Nate and Noah Hartung, and (Jade) Burka inside," Fox Chapel coach Harry Jenkins said.

"We don't have the bodies to play with those guys. We had to play our zone and keep the ball out of there."

For the most part, the Foxes did, as half of Butler's 18 field goals were 3-pointers.

"He's a smart coach and their strategy worked," Butler coach Joe Lewandowski said.

But the Tornado didn't go down without a fight.

Fox Chapel (4-5, 2-1) fell behind 6-0 and didn't score a point until 15 seconds remained in the first quarter. The Foxes ran a patient offense that resulted in layups, short jumpers and an 18-11 lead with less than a minute to go in the first half.

Enter Monday.

The Tornado guard came off the bench to drain a 3-pointer just before halftime. He hit two more in the early moments of the third quarter, then converted a layup in transition off an assist from Blake Anderson.

The flurry gave Butler (4-4, 1-2) a 22-18 lead with 6:18 left in the period.

"My kids kept their composure during that run and that was big," Jenkins said. "I had a young team on the floor and it could have wilted."

Fox Chapel started three sophomores and returned only one letterman - 6-foot-4 junior forward Rob Tenenini - from last season.

Rather than wilt, the Foxes' offense blossomed again, going on a 10-2 run to assume a 28-24 lead. The advantage was 32-28 after three quarters.

Enter Markle.

The senior guard, who led Butler with 20 points, sank five of his six 3-pointers in the final quarter, including three in the first 2:10 of the last period.

"Their guards did a great job," Jenkins said. "They started burying threes and the game became a scramble."

Butler's Nick Martini sank the front end of a one-and-one to tie the game at 45 with 1:20 remaining. But Tiff Harner stuck back an offensive rebound with 41 seconds left to give the Foxes a lead they never lost.

Anderson sank one of two free throws before Fox Chapel's Adam Abuelmagd got behind the defense for an easy layup and a 49-46 lead with 32 seconds left.

Markle attempted a 3-pointer to knot the game but missed. Harner sank a free throw to salt away the win with five seconds left.

Markle hit a 3-pointer just before the buzzer after Fox Chapel sank another free throw with 2.9 seconds left.

"Our kids never quit. We never gave up," Lewandowski said. "We just couldn't get over the top.

"We lost to a good basketball team, but we feel we're a good basketball team, too."

Fox Chapel is 4-0 when holding the opposition below 50 points. The Foxes are 0-5 otherwise.

"We don't have a go-to guy, someone we can set screens and picks for," Jenkins said. "This is the way we have to win."

Jenkins has more than 300 wins in 25 years at Fox Chapel.

Abuelmagd had 15 points and five rebounds for the Foxes while Ahmed Abuelmagd added six of his team's 34 rebounds.

Monday contributed 13 points for Butler with Burka adding eight points and seven of the Tornado's 24 rebounds. Butler had 15 turnovers to Fox Chapel's 14.

Neither team attempted a free throw in the first half.

BUTLER 49

Nate Hartung 1-1 0-0 2, Noah Hartung 1-5 0-0 2, Nick Martini 0-2 1-2 1, Jerrod Markle 7-17 0-0 20, Adam Monday 5-9 0-0 13, Blake Anderson 0-8 3-4 3, Sean Lowry 0-0 0-0 0, Jade Burka 4-6 0-0 8. Totals: 18-48 4-6 49

FOX CHAPEL 51

Kevin Martincek 4-7 3-4 11, John Hastings 2-4 1-2 5, Mike Murray 1-1 0-0 2, Tiff Harner 3-4 3-4 9, Adam Abuelmagd 6-10 2-4 15, Rob Tenenini 2-10 0-0 4, Seth Eisner 1-6 0-0 3, Ahmed Abuelmagd 1-3 0-1 2. Totals: 20-45 9-15 51

3-point goals:

Markle 6, Monday 3; A.Abuelmagd, Eisner

JV:

Butler, 46-39

Thursday:

Shaler @ Butler