WEXFORD — Butler came looking for a signature win.

The Golden Tornado wound up signing off on something special Friday night at North Allegheny.

Despite point guard Nate Snodgrass sitting for all but nine seconds of the second quarter, Butler outscored the Tigers during the frame and went on to win a 75-69 boys basketball shootout over NA (7-2, 2-1).

The score was tied eight times and the lead changed hands on nine occasions. The only double-digit lead all night was a 17-7 NA edge less than four minutes into the game.

Butler (8-4, 3-1) took the lead for good on a Jake Hilliard layup with 2:32 to play. Hilliard canned a short jumper 10 seconds later to give his team a 66-63 edge.

“Those were probably the two biggest buckets of his life,” Tornado coach Matt Clement said.

A 3-pointer by Adam Haus — his fifth of the night — pulled North Allegheny within 68-66 with 1:37 to play. But Snodgrass sank four free throws in the next 32 seconds and Dom Pusateri iced the win with a layup for a 74-67 lead with 30 seconds remaining.

“We shoot 50 free throws a day in practice and I've been shooting them since fourth grade,” Snodgrass said. “It's become such a natural thing. Block out everything else with your head. Just focus on the hoop.”

“We finished this game strong. We won this game in the second quarter,” Clement said.

Snodgrass was called for a charging foul in the final seconds of the first period — his second personal foul of the contest — and went to the bench with his team trailing, 21-16.

Snodgrass did not return to the floor until nine seconds remained in the half, with the Tornado trailing only 42-40.

“We needed to make a run there ... and we didn't,” NA coach Dave DeGregorio said of Snodgrass' absence.

Snodgrass went to the bench with foul trouble against Shaler earlier this season and “we were outscored 22-3 without him,” Clement pointed out.

Not this time.

Pusateri — who got a rare start — Cody West, Trevor Wideman and Hilliard were among the Butler players handling the ball while Snodgrass was sitting.

“An incredible job and against relentless pressure,” Clement gushed. “I could talk about that second quarter for hours.

He could talk about Pusateri for longer than that.

The junior guard scored 17 points, grabbed four rebounds and had four steals Friday night. He scored seven points in the first quarter, helping Butler survive an early Tiger barrage.

NA sank seven of its first eight shots, including three treys, in racing to that 17-7 lead.

“They do that to teams,” Clement said. “Dom helped keep us in there. His early points were big. This is a kid who got cut from the team in seventh grade. He never quit working on his game.

“He worked hard all summer, never missed a practice or a sprint. He's inexperienced, so we've brought him along slowly. I didn't want to put too much on his plate too soon.”

Pusateri took a big bite out of the Tigers on this night.

“My game is hustle and defense. Coach Clement gave me a chance and my teammates always had my back,” Pusateri said. “This is a big win, but we have to keep going. We have to keep building.”

Snodgrass had 21 points and eight assists for Butler. David Tompkins had 11 of the team's 35 rebounds.

“We had a nice run early, but it was early,” DeGregorio said. “Butler wasn't going to fold its tent and go home.

“We knew what they had coming in here. They're one of the best teams in this section. I've known that since summer.”

Haus had 24 points and seven rebounds for NA. J.C. Howard added 16 points and six boards. Scott Blumer had seven rebounds off the bench.

“Howard is among the top three players in this section and Dom held him in check most of the night,” Clement said.

North Allegheny had 20 turnovers to Butler's 14.

BUTLER 75Nate Snodgrass 4-14 12-14 21, Keenan Krause 0-0 3-4 3, Cody West 2-10 1-2 6, Trevor Wideman 2-3 0-1 4, Jake Hilliard 4-7 0-0 9, Dom Pusateri 6-10 2-4 17, Luke Hartung 3-6 0-0 8, Matt Baranchak 0-1 0-0 0, David Tompkins 3-4 1-3 7.

Totals: 24-56 19-27 75.

NORTH ALLEGHENY 69Sean Hennigan 3-4 0-0 9, Ty Neff 1-3 4-4 6, J.C. Howard 5-15 5-6 16, R.J. Colabrese 2-5 4-4 8, David Haus 2-4 0-0 4, Zack Harvey 0-0 0-0 0, Patrick Yates 0-1 0-0 0, Adam Haus 9-15 1-1 24, Hashim Hyder 0-1 0-0 0, Scott Blumer 0-1 0-0 0, Ricky Minsterman 1-2 0-0 2.

Totals: 23-51 14-15 69.

Butler 16 24 13 22—75North Allegheny 21 21 13 14—693-point goals: Butler 8 (Snodgrass, West, Hilliard, Pusateri 3, Hartung 2); North Allegheny 9 (Hennigan 3, Howard, A.Haus 5).

Junior varsity: North Allegheny, 64-42 (B: Mark Geross 9, Zach Neudorfer 9; NA: Luke Soyster 10, Zeige 10)

Tuesday: Butler at Franklin Regional