Butler girls basketball loses at North Hills after snow delays arrival, but ‘no excuse for why we lost’
ROSS TWP — Getting to North Hills for Friday’s WPIAL Section 1-6A clash with the Indians did not come without difficulty for Butler’s girls basketball team.
The game itself offered no reprieve.
The Golden Tornado shot just 30% from the field (14 of 46), turned the ball over 20 times and allowed the Indians to drain nine treys as Butler dropped a 53-34 decision.
The defeat came after the Tornado did not arrive until 6 p.m., the same time the game was scheduled to begin.
Due to a lengthy snow squall that moved through Butler, the team’s bus, which was supposed to depart the high school at 4:15, did not do so until 5:00.
“We got here and had 18 minutes to warm up,” Butler coach Mark Maier said. “I don’t like that. I like to get to a school in plenty of time. I guess it was a bad omen, but that’s no excuse for why we lost. That didn’t account for (19) points.”
Fifteen turnovers hampered the Tornado in the first half and they trailed 24-13 at the break.
Butler hit two quick baskets early in the third quarter to make it a six-point game, but the Indians (3-4, 1-0) ended up knocking down four treys in the period, two of them by Delaney Amato, who drained four in the game.
Amato and Zoe Devlin both scored 19 points to lead all scorers.
“Zoe’s a sophomore who started for us as a freshman, and she’s already getting looks from colleges,” North Hills coach Jason Pirring said. “Delaney is the goalie for the soccer team. They’re both tremendous athletes.
“Any win in this section is big. Butler is a good team that plays hard. Mark has those girls ready to go.”
Butler’s frustration continued to mount as the third quarter played out. Devlin made the front end of two free throws late in the period. Her miss on the second attempt was rebounded by Amato, whose bucket pushed North Hills’ lead to 43-26.
“We knew that those two players take the majority of their shots and score 75% of their points,” Maier said. “The turnovers, we shouldn’t have 20 against a zone defense.”
Emily Hoffer led Butler (5-2, 0-1) with eight points. The Tornado, capable of hurting opponents with perimeter shooting, were just 2 of 22 from beyond the arc. Eva Stutz and Payton Kamerer accounted for the makes.
“North Hills plays close games and I figured this would be close,” Maier said. “But coming back is tough against a zone.”
Of the Indians’ four losses, three have come by a combined eight points, though they did not score more than 38 in any of them.
“We just want the girls to play within themselves,” Pirring said. “Seeing the ball go in the hoop tonight, I think that’s going to give them more confidence.”
Butler hosts Woodland Hills on Tuesday.
BUTLER 34
Malina McElroy 3 0-1 6, Campbell Clouse 2 0-0 4, Julianna Lockwood 1 0-0 2, Eva Stutz 1 2-2 5, Payton Kamerer 1 0-0 3, Emily Hoffer 4 0-0 8, Emily Cornish 1 0-0 2, Jordan Ryan 1 0-0 2, Kaitlyn Dick 0 2-2 2, Sofia Matonak 0 0-0 0, Sydney Karenbauer 0 0-0 0, Emerson McGarrah 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 4-5 34.
NORTH HILLS 53
Zoe Devlin 8 1-3 19, Delaney Amato 6 3-4 19, Sophia Regan 2 0-0 6, Lucy Pirring 1 0-0 2, Lily Zickefoose 2 0-0 4, Morgan Duty 1 0-0 3, Keally Zickefoose 0 0-2 0. Totals: 20 4-9 53.
Butler 5 8 13 8 — 34
North Hills 7 17 20 9 — 53
3-point goals: Butler 2 (Stutz, Kamerer);
North Hills 9 (Amato 4, Regan 2, Devlin 2, Duty).
Tuesday: Woodland Hills at Butler
