BUTLER TWP — After climbing all night, Butler finally reached the top of the mountain with 24 seconds to go.

Then it slipped.

Cameryn Booher drained a 3-pointer with 24.2 seconds to play, giving the Golden Tornado a 42-40 lead over Shaler in a non-section girls basketball game Monday night in the Butler gym.

The bucket gave the Tornado (2-4) their first lead of the game.

It turned out to be their only lead of the game.

Junior point guard Bayleigh Perez sank a trey from the top of the key with 7.6 seconds to go, that shot standing up for a 43-42 Titans victory.

“That wasn’t the play we were looking for,” Shaler coach Cornelious Nesbit said. “We wanted to go down low and work a shot, but Butler defended that pretty well.

“We like to drive to the hoop. When nothing’s there, we kick it back out. When Bayleigh got the ball back, she knew she could take that shot if she wanted it.”

Butler got one more shot at pulling out the win. Shaler had fouls to give and fouled the Tornado near midcourt with four seconds left.

Regardless, Jessica Chwalik got off a clean look from beyond the arc at the buzzer. The ball hit the back of the rim and stayed out.

“It was a good look. I told Jess I’ll take that shot every time,” Butler coach Mark Maier said. “I thought she had it ... just caught too much rim.”

The Titans (3-4) had another foul to give before Chwalik got that open look.

“We screwed up there at the end,” Nesbit said. “We were supposed to foul and didn’t. But it’s a lesson learned.

“We’ll look at the tape and go over that play. Next time, we won’t make that mistake.”

Shaler’s Hanna DeJidas sank a pair of treys early in the first quarter to give her team the lead it kept nearly all night. The Titans had a 26-15 lead by halftime.

Butler sank eight of 13 shots in the third period — including three treys — in getting back into the game. An Avery Maier trey pulled the Tornado within 32-30 with 1:40 left in the quarter.

A Maier layup capped a 6-0 run that pulled Butler within 37-36 with 7:27 to go. A 3-point play by Cameryn Booher with 1:47 left cut Shaler’s lead to 40-39 before she hit the go-ahead bucket later.

“I loved how hard we worked, the way we fought back,” Coach Maier said. “You’re always looking for positives.

“We laid an egg in the first half, but we bounced back from that. We had the lead. This is a tough one to let slip away.”

Perez led Shaler with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Before hitting the game-winning shot, Perez had to leave the game for a few moments to get a cut above her eye fixed up.

“She’s a tough kid ... one of our leaders.” Nesbit said.

DeJidas had eight points and four rebounds, May Engel six points and seven rebounds for the Titans. Shaler has three starters back from a team that went 16-7 last season.

“That’s a veteran team with a lot of experience and we had freshmen on the floor at times,” Maier said.

Butler played without guard Sydney Patterson, who is out with a concussion.

Malia McElroy had nine points and three assists for Butler, Booher nine points, Maier eight points and 11 rebounds, Amelia McMichael eight points and five rebounds, Chwalik eight points and four assists.

SHALER 43

Bayleigh Perez 5-9 2-2 15, May Engel 2-3 2-3 6, Noelle Roth 1-2 0-0 3, Reese Smetanka1-3 0-0 3, Hanna DeJidas 3-8 0-0 8, Hilary Quinn 1-12 0-0 2, Jorja Bernesser 2-4 2-2 6. Totals: 15-41 6-7 43.

BUTLER 42

Jessica Chwalik 3-7 0-0 8, Cameryn Booher 3-7 1-1 9, Avery Maier 3-6 1-2 8, Amelia McMichael 4-12 0-0 8, Malina McElroy 3-5 1-2 9, Eva Stutz 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 16-39 4-5 42.

Shaler 12 14 11 6 — 43

Butler 6 9 19 8 — 42

3-point goals: Shaler 7 (Perez 3, Roth, Smetanka, DeJidas 2) Butler 6 (Chwalik 2, Booher 2, Maier, McElroy)

JV: Shaler, 51-45 (S: Reese Smetanka 15, Taylor London 10; B: Eva Stutz 23)

Thursday: Mercyhurst Prep at Butler