Senior impact.

Butler’s varsity boys basketball season ended a week ago.

The affect of that season on the program could last for a while — because of the six seniors on this year’s roster.

The Golden Tornado scrapped their way into the WPIAL playoffs out of Section 3-AAAA despite not having a true star player on the team. Winning basketball games can be a tricky proposition at the high school level without that go-to guy.

North Allegheny had Cole Constantino. North Hills had Kindhal Taylor. Seneca Valley had Zach Snyder.

The last time Butler reached the playoffs, it had Nate Snodgrass, one of the top players in the WPIAL at the time.

Butler’s leading scorer this year was Justice Lewandowski at 13.2 points per game. But the Golden Tornado got to postseason play with a balanced lineup filled with unselfish play.

The six seniors — Lewandowski, Mark Gross, Andrew Paterno, Keenan Krause, Jake Anderson and Eric Hindman — epitomized that.

“They accepted the challenge of stepping into more prominent roles — roles they weren’t accustomed to — and they made it happen,” Butler coach Matt Clement said.

Lewandowski went from being primarily a 3-point shooter to a versatile offensive player and the team’s best defender. Krause became a steady point guard. Gross was among the team leaders in assists despite playing inside.

Paterno drained 40 treys — Lewandowski had 43 — and repeatedly came up with steals.

Anderson and Hindman contributed gritty defensive play and rebounding off the bench.

“There’s two seniors who didn’t get a lot of minutes, weren’t starters, but led the team’s cheers and encouragement from the bench,” Clement said.

“How could the younger guys not follow suit? How could they complain about anything if those two weren’t?”

They couldn’t.

That’s senior impact.

Butler won on old-fashioned team basketball. Clement played at least 10 players virtually every game. Every starter and a few bench players reached double figures in scoring at least once during the season.

The Tornado had at least eight players sank a 3-pointer, more than that created a turnover, grabbed a key rebound or produced an assist while on the floor.

Without an unselfish senior group, a season like this just can’t happen.

“These guys changed the path of this program,” Clement said. “The goal is no longer to get back to the playoffs. The goal is to succeed in the playoffs.”

Butler’s cupboard is far from bare. Tyler Frederick, capable of putting up double-doubles almost nightly, will only be a junior. Joel and Jace Stutz will only be juniors as well. Kaden Rock could step in as point guard next year.

The JV team had a big year and will contribute to the varsity.

This year’s seniors will be gone.

Their legacy will be felt.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle