Butler girls basketball’s playoff hopes put to bed by North Allegheny
WEXFORD — The first quarter could have set the pace for Butler girls basketball in a game the team needed to win to qualify for the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs.
It instead proved to be the calm before the storm.
After scoring 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field in the first eight minutes, Butler’s groove became a trench from which the Golden Tornado never emerged in a 49-30 Section 1-6A loss Thursday at North Allegheny.
A Butler win would have created a three-way tie for third place in the section between NA, Butler and North Hills, and all three would have been playoff-bound.
After being tied at 16 with the Tigers after the first period, Butler’s offensive woes began with a scoreless second quarter. The Tornado missed all seven of their attempts from the field.
“We knew they have some good outside shooters, and had to stay with them,” NA coach Jill Capozzi said. “We were caught flat-footed on defense early, but did pretty well over the last 24 minutes.”
Butler’s scoring drought ended with Katie Dick’s putback 33 seconds into the second half, but the only points that followed in the third for the Tornado came on a trey from Emily Cornish that cut NA’s lead to 28-21 with 1:21 left in the period.
Cornish added another 3-pointer in the fourth, as did teammate Jordan Ryan, but Butler (10-11, 3-7) simply could not regain its early shooting success.
The Tornado tallied a combined 14 points in the final three quarters of the game.
“NA’s defense got more aggressive after that first quarter, and because of injuries we’re dealing with a short bench,” Butler coach Mark Maier said. “We still got some good looks later in the game, but didn’t connect on enough of them.”
Overall, the Tigers (10-10, 5-5) did not have a great offensive showing themselves, due in part to the absence of leading scorer Rosalia Varlotta (15 points per game), who was recently lost for the season to injury.
But Vange Balouris stepped up to score over half of her team’s output with 25, including three field goals in the final period to help NA keep its lead.
Butler’s early offense was spurred by four 3-pointers from Eva Stutz (2), Ryan and Payton Kamerer.
Stutz scored nine points to lead Butler.
“You are never going to be satisfied with not making the playoffs,” Maier said. “But it was a year of adversity, and a lot of younger girls got playing time this season. That bodes well for the future.”
Butler will recognize its two seniors — Cornish and Emily Hoffer — prior to Monday’s season finale at home against Saint Joseph.
BUTLER 30
Eva Stutz 3 1-2 9, Payton Kamerer 1 0-0 3, Emily Hoffer 1 0-0 2, Jordan Ryan 2 2-2 8, Katie Dick 1 0-0 2, Emily Cornish 2 0-0 6, Campbell Clouse 0 0-0 0. Totals: 10 3-4 30.
NORTH ALLEGHENY 49
Maddie Williams 3 2-2 11, Rae Shanahan 3 0-0 6, Vange Balouris 9 4-8 25,
Audrey Robertson 1 0-0 2, Cate Pingpank 2 0-2 5, Macy Sundgren 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 6-12 49.
Butler 16 0 5 9 — 30
North Allegheny 16 7 12 14 — 49
3-point goals: Butler 7 (Stutz 2, Ryan 2, Cornish 2, Kamerer); North Allegheny 7 (Williams 3, Balouris 3, Pingpank).
Monday: Saint Joseph at Butler
