BETHEL PARK — Butler coach Dorothea Epps wasn't discouraged that her team fell behind by double digits in the first half against Chartiers Valley.

She was because her squad could have prevented it.

“We missed eight wide-open layups,” said Epps, “and we're a team that has struggled to score. We can't afford to miss those.

“If we made half of that, it could have been a one- or two-point game,”

Instead, a 20-6 run allowed the Colts to open up a 24-13 advantage midway through the second quarter and Butler could pull no closer than seven points the rest of the way in a 47-39 loss in the consolation final of the Bethel Park Tournament.

“They're a good shooting team,” Epps said. “But, you can only hold them down so long.”

Consecutive 3-pointers by Jennifer Barry helped Butler take a 7-4 lead midway through the first quarter before the Colts (4-2) found their stride.

Chartiers Valley used a basket by Lauren Herrion, a 3-pointer by Jenna Devinney and a score and free throw from Mariah Wells — all in a 90-second span — to take a 12-7 lead.

Butler's Jasmine Bailey scored before Kristina Coyne added a pair of baskets to up the Colts' lead to seven points.

Layups by Julia Baxter to close the first quarter and to open the second quarter pulled Butler to 16-13, but the Colts responded with another 8-0 spurt — consecutive 3-pointers by reserve Kasey Fiedler and a basket by Golden — to make it 24-13.

The Colts pushed their lead to 15 points, the latest at 42-27 with 6;40 to play before the Tornado (4-5) made a valiant push.

After a Barry 3-pointer and a basket by Coyne, Butler scored the next seven points — two free throws from Baxter, a 3-point play by Barry and a bucket by Baxter — and trimmed the deficit to seven (44-37) with 3:30 remaining.

“I thought we fought back and we're able to regroup,” Epps said.

The Colts, however, got a putback from Kristin McGeough 21 seconds after Baxter's score to push the lead back to nine and the Colts held on from there.

Barry led all scorers with 16 points while Baxter added 12 points. The Colts received 15 points from Wells and 14 from Coyne.

“(Barry's scoring) was what we were looking for,” Epps said. “We need that second or third girl to hit shots. This game boosted her confidence and showed what can happen when she shoots the ball.”

The Tornado dropped both games in the tournament —it suffered a 40-29 setback to Bethel Park Wednesday — and is coming off its third game in as many days.

Now it's back to section play Monday against Pine-Richland, but the Tornado are more battle-tested for the rest of the schedule.

“When you get back into the section, you can't have nights off, you can't take a night off,” Epps said.

“This was not a pancake tournament. Look at the four teams (New Castle was the other). We got a couple of losses, but we feel like we came out with something to build on.”

Notes: Coyne and Butler's Sam Marak were named to the all-tournament team ... Bethel Park won the tournament with a 58-42 triumph over New Castle.

CHARTIERS VALLEY 47Mariah Wells 6 2-6 15, Jenna Devinney 2 0-0 6, Kristina Coyne 6 2-2 14, Alexa Golden 1 0-2 2, Lauren Herron 1 0-0 2, Kristin McGeough 1 0-0 2, Kasey Fiedler 2 0-0 6, Kristen Castello 0 0-0 0, Alison Dames 00-0 0, Melissa Rickens 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 4-10 47.

BUTLER 39Jennifer Barry 5 3-7 16, Natalie Barkus 2 0-0 4, Sam Marak 0 0-2 0, Jasmine Bailey 2 0-1 4, Julia Baxter 4 4-6 12, Makenzie Huey 0 1-2 1, Alyssa DiPippa 0 0-0 0, Lauren Bresnahan 1 0-0 2.

Totals: 14 8-18 39.

Chartiers Valley 16 12 12 7—47Butler 11 7 7 14—393-point goals: Chartiers Valley 5 (Devinney 2, Fiedler 2, Wells); Butler 3 (Barry 3).

Monday: Pine-Richland at Butler