ALIQUIPPA — The Butler boys basketball team is eyeing a late-season run for the WPIAL playoffs.

After Thursday's game at Aliquippa, it'll hope to get there in one piece.

The Golden Tornado, already without senior guard Cody West with a hip injury, saw its leading scorer Nate Snodgrass leave the game with an sprained ankle just 2:12 into the game.

Add senior forward David Tompkins leaving with a cut in his mouth in the second quarter that required stitches and the Tornado were trying to get through the non-section game.

The Quips would use an 11-1 run bridging the first and second quarters and added a 9-2 run midway through the second quarter en route to an 80-57 victory over Butler.

“At least it's Thursday,” Butler coach Matt Clement said, trying to find a silver lining. “We have four full days to get healthy and see if Nate will be better by then.”

Snodgrass, who is averaging 20.8 points per game, tried to drive down the paint to the basket through three defenders, but went down and left the game with Butler holding a 2-0 lead.

Butler (10-10) would eventually trail 10-9 before the Quips scored 11 of the next 12 points — highlighted by 3-point plays from Dravon Henry and Davion Hall — that gave the team a 21-10 lead with 6:35 before halftime.

A Trevor Wideman free throw and a putback by Matt Baranchak trimmed the deficit to eight points, which would be the closest Butler would get the rest of the game.

In a two-minute span late in the first half, the Quips drained four 3-pointers, three coming from reserve Timmy Crocker — who finished the game hitting all five of his 3-point attempts — for a 40-22 lead.

“This was the first time all season we played athletically,” Quips coach Bobby Williams said. “This was a carryover from the Freedom game (a key Section 6-AA win from Tuesday).

“This was our best game of the year. I'm extremely proud of our guys,” Williams added.

“We focus on defense so much,” Clement said, “and a lot of points came off turnovers.”

With the injuries by the Tornado, the Quips certainly can relate. The team has only one regular starter on the floor as two were lost to the season and another is out with a concussion.

“It is what it is,” Williams said. “No one will feel sorry for Aliquippa. We'll just play real hard. The playoffs, it's up to us. If we handle our business, we're in. We don't want to rely on anyone to get us in.”

Butler did have some bright spots as Wideman led all scorers with 19 points while Baranchak added 12 and Jordan Cratty nine more.

“My two seniors, Trevor and Matt, played hard all game,” Clement said. “They needed to be leaders and they were, we just didn't have enough firepower.

“Every game we've lost we gave up a lot of points and every game we've won, we put ourselves in that position. We've had a Jekyll and Hyde defense all year.

“We have two games to try and get into the playoffs. If this was the fourth game of the year, the (injuries) wouldn't be so bad. But, it's two games to go,” Clement added.

Notes: The Quips had seven players with eight or more points, led by Crocker's 15, 11 apiece from Davion Hall and Dravon Henry and 10 from Mikal Hall. In all, 10 players scored for Aliquippa and nine from Butler.

BUTLER 57Jordan Cratty 4 1-2 9, Nate Snodgrass 0 0-0 0, Alec Geibel 0 0-0 0, Zach Pilarcik 0 0-1 0, Keenan Krause 1 1-2 3, Zach Neudorfer 0 0-0 0, Rich Marnic 0 0-0 0, Shae Stobert 0 2-2 2, Seth Horwat 0 0-0 0, Trevor Wideman 6 6-8 19, Dom Pusateri 0 3-5 3, Luke Hartung 1 1-2 4, Matt Baranchak 3 6-7 12, Tanner Wahler 0 0-0 0, David Tompkins 0 0-0 0, Luke Tincha 1 0-0 2, Mark Gross 1 1-2 3.

Totals: 17 21-34 57.

ALIQUIPPA 80Mikal Hall 5 0-0 10, Davion Hall 3 5-7 11, Terry Swanson 3 2-3 9, Tyler Turner 2 4-6 8, Timmy Crocker 5 0-0 15, Dravon Henry 4 3-4 11, Andrew Nunn 0 0-0 0, Unique Robinson 1 0-0 2, Jahri Barbee 4 0-0 8, Shaunqueze Adamson 0 0-0 0, Traveon Key 1 0-0 2, Dajon Perry 2 0-1 4.

Totals: 30 14-21 80.

Butler 10 16 14 17—57Aliquippa 18 23 22 17—803-point goals: Butler 2 (Wideman, Hartung); Aliquippa 6 (Crocker 5, Swanson).

JV: Aliquippa, 45-41 (B: Seth Horwat 12; A: David Hall 8

Tuesday: Butler at Central Catholic