Bobby Swartwout Butler senior forward ended prep basketball career Saturday with 1,059 points

WEXFORD — Butler was knocked down and never had the lead.

The Golden Tornado sank just 10 of 33 shots through three quarters and trailed by as many as 11 — 34-23 — with 7:30 remaining in their PIAA Class AAAA boys basketball quarterfinal against Mt. Lebanon Saturday at North Allegheny High School.

Still, Butler (17-11) refused to be knocked out until the closing seconds of its 51-42 loss to the Blue Devils.

“We went toe to toe with the best team in the (PIAA) West two months after losing a game by 31 on our home floor,” Butler coach Matt Clement said. “That's how far this team came.

“I will never forget these guys.”

The game was tied on two occasions, at 7 and 18 in the first half. Butler held the Blue Devils scoreless for 6:45 in the second quarter while erasing an 18-11 deficit.

An Evan Eaton trey with 55 seconds left in the half gave Mt. Lebanon a 21-18 edge — and the lead it never lost.

But the Tornado hung around.

“Their defense is tenacious, they shoot the ball well and they've got the big kid inside,” Mt. Lebanon coach Joe David said. “And they're playing their best basketball right now.

“We made a few more plays than them down the stretch. That was the only difference in this game.'

Trailing 21-19 at halftime, Butler surrendered the first six points of the third period and trailed by eight before a Cody Herald layup ended a Tornado scoring drought.

“We've been the team getting the quick start in the third quarter,” Clement said. “Giving up those early points hurt.”

Down 34-23 early in the fourth quarter, a 9-0 Butler run cut the gap to 34-32 with 4:27 to play. A Zach Slater trey — his third of the game — triggered the run. Jake Hilliard added a free throw, Bobby Swarwout canned a short jumper and Herald completed a three-point play.

The Blue Devils answered with a Tyler Roth turn-around jumper and an Eaton layup. The lead reached 44-35 with two minutes left.

Eaton paced Mt. Lebanon with 17 points and seven rebounds.

“He's kind of our third wheel in terms of the headlines, but he came up big today,” David said. “Evan is a very heady and consistent player.”

Again, Butler fought back. Nate Snodgrass sank two free throws and Swartwout completed a three-point play to cut the margin to 44-40 at the 1:19 mark.

Chris Bendel, a 5-foot-10 junior guard coming off the bench, sank five free throws in the final 53 seconds to help the Blue Devils nail down the win. Bendel sank seven of eight free throws in the final quarter.

“We needed every one of them to hold off Butler's momentum,” David said. “This was an intense game defensively on both sides and neither team lost its composure.”

Swartwout had 20 points and five rebounds for Butler, ending his varsity career with 1,059 points. Herald had six rebounds, Snodgrass seven points, five assists and three steals.Paul Lang had 13 points and five rebounds for Mt. Lebanon, but was just one of nine from the foul line. His teammates were 13 of 14.Both teams had 11 turnovers.Mt. Lebanon will play Penn Wood (23-8) in the state semifinals Wednesday in Chambersburg.“We'd love to be moving on, but these kids gave all they had to give. I couldn't be prouder,” Clement said. “The five seniors on this team are incredible kids.“And I love living in a community that appreciates a bunch of young athletes who bust their butts every day to get better. The support we received from everyone was unbelievable.”Seniors Swartwout, Herald, Slater, Vinnie Schmidt and Bill Smith played their final games for Butler.<B>BUTLER 42</B>Nate Snodgrass 2-9 3-4 7, Trevor Wideman 0-1 0-0 0, Cody Herald 2-7 1-2 5, Zach Slater 3-6 0-0 9, Jake Hilliard 0-0 1-2 1, Vinnie Schmidt 0-3 0-0 0, David Tompkins 0-0 0-0 0, Bill Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Bobby Swartwout 9-16 2-3 20. <B>Totals:</B> 16-42 7-11 42.<B>MT. LEBANON 51</B>Chris Bendel 0-0 7-8 7, Jake Shure 0-0 0-0 0, Evan Eaton 6-10 4-4 17, Luke Hagy 3-7 0-0 8, Tyler Roth 2-6 2-2 6, George Hensler 0-3 0-0 0, Paul Lang 6-9 1-9 13. <B>Totals:</B> 17-35 14-23 51.<B>Butler 11 8 4 19—42Mt. Lebanon 16 5 11 19—513-point goals:</B> Butler 3 (Slater 3); Mrt. Lebanon 3 (Eaton, Hagy 2).<B>Wednesday:</B> PIAA Class AAAA semifinal-Mt. Lebanon vs. Penn Wood, 7 p.m., at Chambersburg

Butler assistant coach Jim Gallagher consolesCody Herald as he puts a towel over his head in the final seconds of the Golden Tornado's loss to Mt. Lebanon in the PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinals Saturday.