BUTLER TWP — Time to play the big boys.

Literally.

Butler (13-11) will face plenty of size when it goes up against Gateway (18-6) in the WPIAL Class AAAA semifinals at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Fox Chapel High School.

The defending WPIAL champion Gators feature 6-foot-10 senior Barnett Harris, 6-6 senior Tyler Scott, 6-5 sophomore Tom Kromka and 6-4 senior Luke Kochka in their starting lineup.

Butler's biggest starters are 6-3 David Tompkins and Matt Baranchak.

“Gateway is always big,” Golden Tornado coach Matt Clement said. “We've gone up against some bigger lineups already this year in Central Catholic and Chartiers Valley.

“Granted, those teams aren't as big as this one, but, just like every other night, we'll show up and we'll be ready to play.”

The 15th-seeded Tornado are trying to reach the WPIAL title game for the first time since 2000, when they lost to Penn Hills. Butler's lone WPIAL basketball championship season was 1991. Clement was a sophomore on that team.

Gateway is only an 11-seed despite returning four starters from last year's WPIAL title team. The Gators are bidding for their third consecutive appearance in the district championship game and are 61-17 over the past three seasons.

Included in that run is a 47-45 triumph over Butler in last year's WPIAL semifinals.

“We played ourselves into that 11th seed,” seventh-year Gateway coach Mitch Adams said. “We didn't have our full lineup available for a few games because of injuries.

“Our schedule was pretty tough, too. We played the defending Ohio state champion (Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary), a Florida state finalist and a very good Montour team along the way.”

Gateway carries a four-game winning streak into this game. Scott is averaging approximately 17 points per game while Harris is netting nearly 14 and Kochka 13.

“Tyler Scott may be the most talented player in the WPIAL and Kochka is as good a 3-point shooter as we've run up against,” Clement said.

Scott did not play in Gateway's 60-57 overtime quarterfinal win over Seneca Valley for undisclosed reasons.

Adams would not disclose his senior guard's status for Wednesday.

“No comment,” he said. “I have nothing to say about that.”

Despite their size, Adams said Gateway likes to push the ball up and down the floor. Junior point guard Dennis Boyce, a returning starter, triggers that attack.

“He's an experienced player who does a nice job of running our offense,” Adams said.

Butler point guard Nate Snodgrass scored 33 points in the Tornado's first-round win over No. 2 seed Chartiers Valley, then struck for 34 — 32 in the second half and overtime — in their 63-61 win over North Allegheny Saturday.

Snodgrass sank 18 of 19 free throws in those two games and is well over 90 percent from the line for the year.

“I wouldn't say the kid's been ‘going off' lately,” Adams said. “He's playing within himself. That's how good he is.

“He's the best point guard in the WPIAL, bar none. Butler doesn't have their big man (Bobby Swartwout) this year, but that is still a very, very good basketball team.”

Snodgrass might even be considered the best player in the WPIAL at this point.

“He's definitely in the conversation,” Clement said.

While Snodgrass and fellow senior guard Cody West combined to score 60 of Butler's 63 points Saturday, Clement is not concerned about any lack of scoring elsewhere on the roster.

“I'd be concerned if those guys have never done it, but they have,” he said. “Matt Baranchak's had a couple of double-doubles this year, Luke Hartung has scored in the teens, David Tompkins has been in double digits, so has Dom Pusateri.

“Nate's been hot of late and the other guys recognize that. They've been supplementing our play on the court in other ways. But if they have to score, they can.”

Just like West did Saturday, tying a WPIAL tournament record with eight 3-pointers while scoring a career-high 26 points.

“That kid has as pure a 3-point shot as I've seen,” Adams said.

“We're not a one-man team,” Clement said. “I can guarantee you that.”