Some holiday cheer

By JOHN ENRIETTO Eagle Sports Editor

December 26, 2005 Last Updated: December 26, 2005 11:52 AM High School

Butler hoop team looks for better things in tourney

BUTLER TWP — Though it's struggled of late, the Butler boys basketball team can find comfort in the Christmas season.

The Golden Tornado seem to play their best basketball at their own Christmas tournament.

Butler won the boys portion of the annual Christmas tourney in 2002 and 2004. It competed at the Blackhawk tourney in 2003.

Last year, the Tornado stunned defending WPIAL Class AA champion Aliquippa, 64-49, in the finals.

"The kids take a lot of pride in playing this tournament at home and it's important to them to win it," Butler coach Joe Lewandowski said. "We can use this tournament to build some momentum.

"I'm excited about it because we finally have all of the players we expected to have this season healthy. Maybe we can get on a roll."

Blake Anderson, last year's tournament MVP, missed a couple of recent games with a concussion. Noah Hartung — who joined Anderson on the all-tournament team a year ago — saw his first action of the season Friday night and scored 14 points.

Hartung had been recovering from an October knee surgery.

Butler (4-6) faces Burrell (5-4) in the first round at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday. The Bucs have won four of their last six games.

Penn Hills (5-4) faces Chartiers Valley (6-2) in the other boys first-round game at 6 p.m. Chartiers Valley brings a three-game win streak to the tournament.

Butler (4-6) enters the tournament on a three-game losing streak — all section games — by an average point differential of 20 points.

"Our boosters do a great job with this tournament," Lewandowski said. "They feed all of the teams and all of the players walk out of here with something.

"They (boosters) work hard to bring good teams in here every year."

Butler's girls are in the opposite situation from their male counterparts. The Tornado are 6-2 — including two wins at the RockHoliday Classic in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — and have been playing well.

But they do not have fond memories of this tournament.

Franklin Regional rallied from an 18-point third-quarter deficit to nip the Tornado, 69-68, in last year's title game. Butler's girls have won this tournament only once (2002) since a girls portion was added in 2000.

Butler faces South Park (1-5) in the first round at 4:15 Tuesday. The Eagles dropped their first five games this year before winning a 58-37 decision at Carlynton Thursday.

Blackhawk (3-5) faces Franklin Regional (2-6) in the other girls first-round game at 2:30 p.m.

Blackhawk's girls have played in this tournament every year of its existence.

Natalie Gulyas, a 6-foot-1 center, was MVP of last year's tourney for Franklin Regional, but has since graduated. Rebekah Gouldsbarry of Blackhawk won the girls 3-point shooting contest a year ago and she returns.

This year's tournament again features a 3-point shooting contest for boys and girls. All-tournament teams and tournament MVPs will be awarded again as well.