It's all about respect.

Butler and Allderdice have been gaining plenty of it in the high school boys basketball world by virtue of their current tournament runs.

Now they meet each other, each looking for a little bit more.

“All I know is they beat Chartiers Valley by 15 points,” Butler coach Matt Clement said. “That's instant credibility.”

The Golden Tornado (16-10) face the Dragons (18-7) in a second-round PIAA Class AAAA game at 6 p.m. Wednesday at North Allegheny.

Allderdice is the two-time defending City League champion.

“We're proud to carry that City League flag,” Allderdice coach Andre McDonald said. “We had the word Pittsburgh put on our jersey this year because we want people to know we're from the city.

“Each time we get a chance to beat a WPIAL team, it's another ounce of respect gained for our league.”

Clement said Butler isn't the Quad-A team that comes to mind when people talk about WPIAL basketball.

“Gateway, Mount Lebanon, Shaler — there's a number of teams that come to mind before we do,” he said. “We're trying to get Butler basketball back up there again.

“Allderdice is big. .... Maybe not as big as Gateway, but they're much quicker and probably more athletic. This is the best team we've played so far, and (junior guard) Justin Dobbs is the best player we've seen so far.”

Dobbs, a 6-foot-3 junior, averages 20 points and four assists per game and spearheads the Dragons' attack.

“I've been with this program for nine years and he's the hardest working kid I've seen come through the program,” McDonald said.

Dobbs has some help as well.

Junior forward Ben Mickens averages 15 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Senior forward Eric Mallinger tallies 10 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots per contest.

Allderdice doesn't go more than seven deep, however.

“Our bench is limited, but Butler likes to do a lot of trapping with their pressure,” McDonald said. “I don't know if they've faced a team with our speed and quickness. Hopefully, their pressure won't be as effective.”

McDonald is 76-50 in five years as Allderdice head coach. Saturday's 67-52 victory over Chartiers Valley was the program's first PIAA win since 2003.

“We feel like we belong here,” McDonald said. “We finally got over that hump.”

Butler is led by senior Bobby Swartwout, who became the sixth Tornado boy to reach 1,000 points in a career, averages 16 points per game and is sinking more than 90 percent of his free throws during the playoffs.

Other players, such as fellow seniors Cody Herald and Vinnie Schmidt, have stepped up their games as well.

“Cody is probably coming off his best game of the season,” Clement said. “Defensively, he's been outstanding and he's become a very solid third or fourth option offensively.

“Vinnie, Nate and Cody can all hit the 3. Vinnie's our physically strongest player. He's well put together and he's long. He's learned how to use those physical tools to his advantage.

“This is a guy who used to be a straight scorer, now averaging four to six assists a game. He's transformed his game,” Clement added.

The winner faces the Gateway-Mount Lebanon survivor in the quarterfinal round Saturday.

<B>BUTLER (16-10)Name Pos. Ht. Yr.</B>Nate Snodgrass G 6-0 Jr.Cody Herald G 5-11 Sr.Zach Slater F 6-1 Sr.Vinnie Schmidt F 6-2 Sr.Bobby Swartwout F 6-6 Sr.<B>ALLDERDICE (18-7)Name Pos. Ht. Yr.</B>Justin Dobbs G 6-3 Jr.Tevin Bell G 5-9 Jr.Cameron Bailey G 6-4 Sr.Eric Mallinger F 6-5 Sr.Ben Mickens F 6-5 Jr.