MURRYSVILLE — Mayhem was expected. And mayhem arrived.

The lead changed hands 16 times and the score was tied on six occasions before Franklin Regional outlasted Butler, 59-57, in overtime of their non-section girls basketball game Tuesday night.

Neither team ever led the other by more than five points. Neither team ever led by more than two points in the fourth quarter.

“Neither team could ever run away from the other,” Franklin Regional coach Rick Klimchock said. “It was crazy.

“But both of our starting guards are hurt and I know Butler is without their best player (point guard Caitlin Baxter), so we kind of expected wild and wacky.”

The teams combined for 47 turnovers. The Golden Tornado (4-8) had 28 of them. Butler had nine turnovers to the Panthers' three in the fourth quarter, four to FR's one in overtime.

“That was the difference in the game right there,” Butler coach Dorothea Epps said. “But I was pleased with the way we fought tonight.”

The final lead change of the game occurred with 2:04 left in regulation when Panther sophomore forward Baylee Buleca canned a layup for a 50-49 FR lead. Mary Komandt added a free throw to hike the margin to two points with 1:32 to play.

Butler turned it over on its next two possessions — the second time with 7.6 seconds left — and appeared to be finished.

But the Panthers' inbounds pass from underneath their own bucket was deflected and stolen by Kalynn Callihan. The Tornado called timeout with 5.1 seconds left and tied the game on a MacKenzie O'Donnell layup with one second left.

O'Donnell paced Butler with 27 points, sinking 8 of 10 field-goal attempts and 11 of 15 free throws.

“I told her she needed to develop into our go-to girl offensively and she certainly played that role tonight,” Epps said. “MacKenzie had an outstanding game.”

Two O'Donnell free throws tied the game for the final time — 53-53 with 1:57 left in overtime — before FR senior Kristin Gallagher sank two free throws with 1:49 left and two more with 59.2 seconds left to give the Panthers (9-2) a four-point bulge.

Gallagher was the lone senior in Franklin Regional's starting lineup.

“You need your senior to hit free throws in those spots and she came through,” Klimchock said.

The Tornado still weren't done. An O'Donnell layup with 19 seconds left in OT cut the gap to 59-57 and Butler regained possession with nine seconds left. O'Donnell was bumped as she missed a layup attempt with less than two seconds to go.

No foul was called and the ball deflected off a Butler player out of bounds.

“She definitely got fouled there,” Epps said. “But if we protect the ball, this game doesn't come down to that.

“You never want to put a game in the officials' hands, especially on the road.”

Butler's loss was its fifth in a row.

Maggie Kimmich scored 25 points — including four treys — to pace Franklin Regional. Komandt added 13 points and five rebounds, Buleca eight points and six boards.

Sam Marak had nine points for Butler while Jasmine Bailey had seven rebounds and seven assists, Alyssa DiPippa six rebounds. The Tornado had a 31-25 advantage on the boards.

BUTLER 57Makenzie Huey 0-0 0-0 0, Jennifer Barry 1-4 2-3 4, Alyssa DiPippa 1-1 0-0 2, Natalie Barkus 1-3 0-0 2, Morgan McLaughlin 0-2 0-0 0, MacKenzie O'Donnell 8-10 11-15 27, Sam Marak 4-4 0-0 9, Jasmine Bailey 1-1 0-0 2, Lauren Bresnahan 0-1 0-0 0, Julia Baxter 3-8 0-0 6, Kalynn Callihan 2-7 0-0 5.

Totals: 21-41 13-17 57.

FRANKLIN REGIONAL 59Dana Eastman 0-2 0-0 0, Maggie Kimmich 9-21 3-3 25, Kristin Gallagher 1-4 4-4 7, Mary Komandt 4-11 4-6 13, Erin DiFalco 2—5 0-0 6, Gillian Kane 0-2 0-0 0, Sara Begany 0-1 0-0 0, Kate Witten 0-1 0-0 0, Baylee Buleca 3-10 2-3 8.

Totals: 19-57 13-16 59.

Butler 10 14 17 10 6—57Franklin Regional 11 13 17 10 8—593-point goals: Butler 2 (Marak, Callihan); Franklin Regional 8 (Kimmich 4, Gallagher, Komandt, DiFalco 2).

Friday: Oakland Catholic at Butler