BUTLER TWP — Jenna Kunst was the victim of a sudden sit-down.

Butler seemed headed for a sudden meltdown soon afterward.

But Kunst and the Golden Tornado bounced back nicely in recording a 44-34 girls basketball victory over North Hills in a mutual section opener Friday night.

“We didn't let it slip away from us,” Butler coach Mark Maier said. “We stepped up and hit some big shots.”

Butler (3-3, 1-0) had a 23-13 lead at halftime and was taking control of the game. Kunst did not commit a foul in the first half, but picked up two before the third quarter was a minute old. She drove to the hoop for a lay-up to keep the Tornado lead in double digits, only to be whistled for charging on the play.

Kunst found herself on the bench only 1:10 into the second half.

“I hate sitting and watching,” she said. “And I hated seeing what I was watching.”

The visiting Indians (3-3, 0-1) used a 10-0 run at the end of the quarter to pull within 28-26. North Hills grabbed a 32-31 lead on a pair of Jordan O'Malley free throws with 4:39 left in the game.

“That third foul on Jenna, I thought, was a tough call,” Maier said. “But we always tell the girls: 'Life is 10 percent what happens to you, 90 percent what you do about it.

“Jenna wanted to get back in there badly during the third quarter. With three fouls, I told her she had to wait until the fourth.”

She made it worth waiting for.

Kuntz drained a go-ahead trey with 4:21 left and the Tornado finished the game with a 13-2 run to win going away.

North Hills committed four turnovers in the final period and got off only two field goal attempts. Kunst scored eight of her 17 points in the final five minutes. She had six rebounds and three assists on the night as well.

The Indians had 20 turnovers, 15 in the first half.

“We're a young team and that inexperience showed,” North Hills coach Lauren Wilmus said. “We're missing two of our better ballhandlers because of injuries right now and that hurt us.”

Jordan Kauffman had 11 points for Butler, including three treys. She sank six 3-pointers in the junior varsity game.

“We're not always gonna make the three's, but they're a big part of our game,” Kunst said. “Bottom line is, defense wins championships.

“We have to bring that every night.”

Alyssa Eyth had five rebounds and three assists for Butler while Julia Gibson came off the bench to snare six rebounds.

North Hills was limited to 10 field goals. O'Malley led the Indians with 12 points while Savannah Powers had 10 rebounds.

“It's always big winning a section game, but you have to win the section home games,” Maier said. “Obviously, we want to win on the road, too, but it's important to hold serve at home.

“I liked the way we responded after falling behind and the way Jenna responded when we put her back in. This is another step forward.”

NORTH HILLS 34

Jordan O'Malkley 2-8 7-10-12, Savannah Powers 2-6 1-2 5, Sydney Ryan 4-5 0-0 9, Skyler Swartzbaugh 0-1 0-0 0, Aidan Schneider 1-3 3-4 5, Kayla Haile 1-5 0-0 3, Abigail McElhaney 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 10-26 11-18 34.

BUTLER 44

Nicole Pepmeyer 0-3 0-0 0, Mia Rader 0-1 0-2 0, Alyssa Eyth 1-4 0-0 2, Jordan Kauffman 4-10 0-1 11, Emma Monteleone 2-4 2-2 7, Jenna Kunst 5-11 5-6 17, Syd Hanratty 0-0 0-0 0, Morgan Gage 0-0 0-0 0, Julia Gibson 2-4 0-0 4, WEmilee Altman 0-5 0-0 0, Heidi Gross 1-2 0-0 3. Totals: 15-44 7-11 44.

North Hills 4 9 13 8 — 34

Butler9 14 5 16 — 44

3-point goals: O'Malley, Ryan, Haile; Kauffman 3, Kunst 2, Monteleone, Gross

JV: Butler 44, Vincentian 20 (B: Jordan Kauffman 18

Wednesday: Butler Christmas Tournamenty-Knoch vs. Indiana, 5 p.m.; Butler vs. Allderdice, 6:30 p.m.