Butler's varsity girls basketball team missed out on the WPIAL playoffs this season.

Don't count on that becoming a trend.

The Golden Tornado's junior varsity and freshman teams combined to win 38 of 43 games this season - despite both squads losing players to the next level.

While the varsity had three sophomores in its starting lineup from Day 1, the junior varsity posted a 20-4 record.

As injuries hit the varsity squad, the JV roster got smaller. Butler lost its only senior - point guard Kelly Miller - and starting junior forward Samantha Karns to season-ending knee injuries during the year.

Concussions, ankle problems and assorted ailments made other varsity players unavailable at different points.

"We had some games where we only dressed six players," junior varsity coach Rebekah Cygan said. "And some of them had to play varsity."

Abby Herrit led the junior varsity with nine points per game. Freshman Karissa King a freshman added eight per contest.

Rachel Barry and Maria Baroffio, a pair of sophomores who also started varsity games, saw a lot of JV minutes.

"I give a lot of credit to someone like Kelley Crater," Cygan said. "She'd play the entire junior varsity game, then three quarters of the varsity game because we were so low on numbers.

"Jen Lesniewski, our point guard, really benefited from the additional playing time at the JV level. She was getting varsity minutes by the end of the year."

Butler's freshmen compiled an 18-1 record despite two freshman girls, Megan Spangler and King, playing at the junior varsity level all season.

The Tornado frosh won their final 17 games and avenged its lone defeat - a five-point loss to North Allegheny - by posting a 22-point victory over the Tigers.

"We play a lot of girls and our scoring was really balanced," freshman coach Paul Epps said. "Given the team we lost from the year before, I didn't expect this type of performance."

Butler's freshmen were 17-0 in 2003-04. This year's team averaged 48 points per game and surrendered 30 per contest.

Epps completed his fourth year as freshman coach. His first two teams finished 9-12 and 13-9.

"This program has really developed and the competition for play at the varsity level will be stiff next year," he said.

Members of Butler's freshman team this year included Brianna Angert, Emily Barkus, Jenna Bodkin, Lyndsy Day, Adrianna Foley, Kayla Gilliland, Mackenzie Greenert, Ashley Onufrak, Erika Miller, Lindsey Peters, Krista Scott and Katherine Sylvia.

Tornado varsity coach Dorothea Epps anticipates a logjam at the varsity level next season.

"We're going to play the best girls," she said. "This isn't a recreation league. There is competition for positions and I owe it to this program to put my best possible lineup on the floor.

"We're still a young team. The upcoming girls will push the ones we already have."

Spangler suffered a season-ending knee injury this year and will have surgery in April. She was seeing varsity minutes before her injury and is expected to be ready for next season.

"Paul has talked to his girls and they know what to expect," Epps said. "It's going to be a battle for playing time, even at the junior varsity level."

The junior varsity team will not have Cygan next year. Her family is moving to Lock Haven.

"Part of my heart is with these girls and it's so hard to leave," she said. "I'm grateful to Jonna (former varsity coach Burke) and Dorothea for the opportunity to work with them."

Cygan credited the work of junior high coaches Maria Sekres, Lindsay Partridge and Melissa Avon with helping to develop Butler's girls basketball talent quickly.

"They are young, enthusiastic coaches who have been on the job for a couple of years," she said. "We're beginning to reap the benefits of their work."

Dorothea Epps is quick to point out that the program's work is not complete.

"We missed the playoffs," she said. "That doesn't sit well with any of us. I told the girls to remember this feeling. Next year, we can do something about it."