Butler basketball: How outside shooting helped Golden Tornado girls start season 2-0
MANOR TWP, Armstrong County — It may be a pace that Butler girls basketball will be unable to maintain, but through the first two games of the season, the Golden Tornado have been very impressive from beyond the arc.
A day after draining nine treys in a victory against West Shamokin, Butler hit seven of them in a 48-33 defeat of Armstrong in the championship game of the Armstrong Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday.
“They were playing zone and we practiced against that, were prepared for it,” said Butler junior guard Eva Stutz, who had three treys Saturday and has six on the young season. “Outside shooting won’t be our whole offense this season, but we are not a big lineup this year. It will play a big role in what we do.”
Emily Cornish also had three treys and Malina McElroy added another as the Tornado (2-0) opened up a 10-0 first-quarter lead and never trailed against the River Hawks (1-1).
Butler shot 39% (seven of 18) from 3-point range in the game.
“Sixteen 3s in two games, with the ebbs and flows of basketball, we can’t expect eight 3s every game,” Butler coach Mark Maier said. “But when you’re making outside shots, that means you are passing well, finding the open player.”
One negative that came out of the game was an injury to junior forward Ashton Huff. She left the game with an injured left leg with 4:52 left in the first quarter.
Huff returned to the court in the second period, but aggravated the injury and spent the remainder of the game on the bench.
“She’s one of our tallest players (5-foot-11), is good on defense and a good rebounder,” Maier said. “She had two baskets right off the bat today. Campbell Clouse played well in her stead, but hopefully, it (injury) is nothing long-term.”
Another key to the win was Butler’s ability to contain Armstrong freshman forward Mary Duncan, who scored a team-high 10 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
“She scored 20 in a win over Burrell on Friday,” Maier said. “We got her in foul trouble pretty early and that was big.”
The Golden Tornado, who were led by 11 points from Cornish and 10 from Stutz, led 27-11 at halftime.
Butler will take its 2-0 record into Wednesday’s game at Erie.
“We were top-heavy last year,” Maier said of the talent level on the 2024-25 squad. “We brought back just one starter (McElroy), but I think we’re a deeper team this season.”
ARMSTRONG 33
Amylia Gaiser 1 3-4 5, Mary Duncan 5 0-0 10, Gemma Swartz 1 0-0 2, Callie Adkins 1 0-0 2, Sophia Shumaker 2 2-2 6, Sadie Futscher 2 3-4 8, Chanel Bronson 0 0-0 0, Carlie Urmann 0 0-0 0. Totals: 12 8- 10 33.
BUTLER 48
Malina McElroy 2 0-0 5, Eva Stutz 3 1-2 10, Ashton Huff 2 0-0 4, Emily Hoffer 4 4-4 12, Emily Cornish 4 0-0 11, Campbell Clouse 1 2-5 4, Julianna Lockwood 1 0-0 2, Payton Kamerer 0 0-0 0, Jordan Ryan 0 0-0 0. Totals: 17 7-11 48.
Armstrong 6 5 11 11 — 33
Butler 15 12 9 12 — 48
3-point goals: Armstrong 1 (Futscher); Butler 7 (Stutz 3, Cornish 3, McElroy).
Wednesday: Butler at Erie
