WEXFORD — Thirteen was more than an unlucky number for Butler Friday night.

It was unwelcome.

The Golden Tornado watched North Allegheny jump out to a 13-0 lead. After Butler pulled within 25-16 with 5:18 left in the first half, the host Tigers put together another 13-0 run.

North Allegheny wound up pulling away for an 83-45 Section 3-AAAA boys basketball victory. While the Tigers (10-0, 4-0) remained unbeaten, Butler (3-8, 0-4) lost for the seventh time in eight games.

“We fall behind 13-0 and go 0-for-9 on layups in the first half,” Butler coach Matt Clement said. “We sank eight of 15 free throws, missed the front end of four one-and-one's ... You're not going to win basketball games at any level doing stuff like that.

“They were giving us shots, opportunities to get back in the game, and we hit 16 of 52? I'll take the blame for the loss because I am the coach, but I can't go out there and shoot it for them.

“Someone has to start stepping up for this team or we're in for a very long year,” Clement added.

North Allegheny shot 53 percent for the night, including 44 percent from beyond the arc. The Tigers drained 11 3-pointers and take an average of 30 3-point shots per game.

“It's a big part of what we do,” NA coach Dave DeGregorio said. “We work on spacing and footwork out there. We've got good shooters and we work on their shooting skills.”

Clement said confidence is what fuels the Tigers.

“They are confident in everything they do on the court,” he said. “We're not shooting the ball with any confidence. That mindset has to change.”

Will Sandherr paced four Tigers in double figures with 17 points. He sank five treys. Cole Constantino scored 15 points, including three treys in the first period.

North Allegheny had an 8-0 lead before Butler could get off a field goal attempt. The Tornado had five turnovers and seven missed shots before Andrew Paterno sank a trey of his own to get Butler on the board four and a half minutes into the game.

Elijah Zeise had 14 points and five rebounds for the winners while David Haus contributed 10 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

“We play unselfishly. You can't win any other way,” DeGregorio said. “One thing we emphasize and recognize is the hockey assist, the pass before the pass that sets up the shot.”

Nick Patten led Butler with 14 points. Mark Gross contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds. But the 45 points marked a season-low for the Tornado.

Butler had 21 turnovers in the contest.

“And those errors were unforced,” Clement said. “We were beating their press pretty easily, but that's only a quarter of it. You have to finish plays and score points on the other end.”

When Butler switched to a 2-3 zone, North Allegheny had a stretch where it hit just one of eight outside shots.

“We got two rebounds off those missed shots. That can't happen,” Clement said.

The coach still believes his team can turn it around. North Hills comes to town Tuesday night.

“I'm still confident in these guys and there's no other locker room I'd rather be in,” Clement said. “There's time to turn this around. We could get a win and get on a roll.

“But we need that win.”

BUTLER 45

Justice Lewandowski 2-6 0-0 6, Arum Krause 0-4 0-3 0, Keenan Krause 3-5 0-0 6, Andrew Paterno 2-9 0-0 6, Nick Patten 4-13 5-7 14, Cory Wheeler 0-1 0-0 0, Tyler Frederick 0-1 0-0 0, Eric Hindman 1-1 1-2 3, Mark Gross 4-11 2-3 10, Damien Pickett 0-0 0-0 0, Kaden Rock 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 16-51 8-15 45.

NORTH ALLEGHENY 83

Elijah Zeise 7-8 0-0 14, Miie Fischer 0-0 0-0 0, Luke Gwaltney 0-1 0-0 0, David Haus 5-10 0-0 10, Will Sandherr 6-7 0-0 17, Mike Carter 4-10 0-2 9, Cole Constantino 4-10 4-4 15, Joe Mancini 2-6 0-0 6, Griffin Sestili 4-4 0-0 8, Jordan Lake 0-1 0-0 0, Jake Beuth 1-1 0-0 2, Miie Sudo 0-1 0-0 0, Keegan Phillips 0-1 0-0 0, Blake Constantakis 0-0 2-2 2. Totals: 33-60 6-8 83.

Butler 7 16 12 10—45

North Allegheny22 22 16 23—83

3-point goals: Lewandowski 2, Paterno 2, Patten; Sandherr 5, Constantino 3, Mancini 2, Carter

JV: North Allegheny, 66-46 (B: Tyler Frederick 10, Joel Stutz 9, Damien Pickett 9, Kaden Rock 9; NA: Keegan Phillips 17, Griffin Sestili 11, Jake Beuth 10)

Tuesday: North Hills at Butler