New Castle pulls away from Butler
BUTLER TWP — Butler stayed around as long as it could, but New Castle had the depth, the experience and the ability to pull away.
The Golden Tornado trailed the Red Hurricanes by two points with a little more than three minutes remaining in the third quarter before New Castle reeled off the next 15 points and went on to capture a 57-45 nonconference victory Monday.
New Castle (19-3) received points from five different players in that stretch as the Hurricanes surged to a 54-37 lead with 2:59 remaining.
“We came down for two possessions versus their zone and we didn't score off it,” Butler coach Dorothea Epps said. “That gave them a couple of runouts and before you know it, it's a nine-point game.”
Butler (4-17) had trailed 17-9 5:38 into the game, but it slowly chipped away at the deficit.
The Tornado, who never led, got as close as one point with 3:42 left in the third quarter after Caitlin Baxter drained a 3-pointer.
New Castle's LaShauna Brothers, who led all scorers with 20 points, answered with a 3-pointer to open a four-point Hurricanes lead.
Jasmine Bailey's basket pulled Butler back within two points before New Castle made its big run to take control of the game.
“I told the kids before the game that it didn't matter what Butler's record was, there's enough mutual respect by both teams,” said New Castle coach Jason Rankin.
The Hurricanes enjoyed a 1-2 punch of Brothers and Ja'Nia McPhatter, who chipped in with 18 points.
“They've been together five years,” said Rankin. “They play well off each other. That's like our eighth-grade show out there. It used to be those two and the rest of the team.”
Not to be outdone, Butler's Mackenzie O'Donnell kept the Tornado in the contest in the first half, erupting for 19 points.
“We thought there was a mismatch inside,” said Epps. “Their big girl was behind Mackenzie and thought she'd be able to post up and score.”
O'Donnell finished with 21 points and Caitlin Baxter had 16 for Butler.
“We talked about what a big learning experience this season was,” said Epps. “Down the stretch, we got better defensively and we scored more than we usually do (tonight).
“They know what it takes in the offseason to get better and play at this level. We'll come back with more experience,” the coach added.
NEW CASTLE 57Dana Perrotta 0 3-4 3, Christina Talbert 1 0-0 2, Delvona Dennis 1 5-8 7, Ja'Nia McPhatter 6 6-10 18, LaShauna Brothers 8 1-2 20, Kelsey Scott 2 2-2 6, Maria Romano 0 1-2 1.
Totals: 18 18-28 57.
BUTLER 45Mackenzie O'Donnell 7 7-9 21, Samantha Marak 0 0-0 0, Jasmine Bailey 2 0-0 4, Shelby Johnston 0 0-0 0, Caitlin Baxter 4 7-14 16, Natalie Barkus 1 0-0 2, Morgan McLaughlin 0 0-0 0, Ali Houk 1 0-0 2.
Totals: 15 14-23 45.
New Castle 21 9 14 13—57Butler 13 14 10 8—453-point goals: New Castle 3 (Brothers 3); Butler 1 (Baxter)
JV: New Castle, 41-40
