BUTLER TWP— At halftime, Butler coach Joe Lewandowski kept the faith.

And that faith was quickly rewarded.

The Golden Tornado went on an 11-0 run to begin the third quarter, breaking open a close game and paving the way to a 59-47 boys basketball win over Pine-Richland Friday night.

Butler (12-7, 5-5) led 28-25 at the intermission. Neither team ever led by more than four in the first half and the lead changed hands five times in the second quarter alone.

"What we were running offensively was working," Lewandowski said of the first half. "It was just a matter of execution. We didn't change much of anything.

"They hit some nice shots in the first quarter, but I thought we needed to contest shots more and play defense better. We did that from the second quarter on."

Pine-Richland (12-8, 4-6) sank only six of 24 field goal attempts in the middle two periods.

"Butler plays very good halfcourt man-to-man defense and they help out well on defense," Rams coach Dave Krakoff said. "We were having trouble freeing anybody up."

Nick Rossmiller got the 11-0 run started for the Tornado by sticking back an offensive rebound. Logan Renwick added a free throw and Rossmiller scored on the rebound after Renwick missed his second shot.

Butler's Jeff Slater completed a three-point play off a turnover and Cody Fleeger drained a 3-pointer with 3:30 left in the quarter, extending Butler's lead to 39-25.

Pine-Richland never got closer than eight points.

Slater led the Tornado with 17 points. Fleeger contributed 12 points and five rebounds, Rossmiller had 10 points, 12 boards and three assists, and Mike Pratkanis had 10 points and eight rebounds.

"These kids are so unselfish,"Lewandowski said. "Nobody cares who's scoring the points. These guys are all about winning games."

Butler might have to keep winning without guard Christos Klutinoty, who injured a knee late in the first half and left the gym on crutches. His prognosis is unknown.

Eric Kordenbrock paced Pine-Richland with 17 points. Point guard Brett Matson added nine points, including five in the final minute of the contest.

Matson entered the night averaging 19 points per game. He scored two in the Tornado's 55-38 win at Pine-Richland earlier this season. He was guarded by Fleeger in both games.

"(Fleeger) has quick feet and does a good job of staying in front of Brett,"Krakoff said. "He makes him give up the ball."

"We were doubling on Matson when we could, but we were peeling off (Kordenbrock) to do it and he was hurting us,"Lewandowski said. "After a while, Cody had to guard Matson alone."

Butler has won three consecutive section games and can clinch a playoff spot with a win at North Allegheny on Tuesday.

The Tornado won Friday despite turning the ball over 19 times to Pine-Richland's eight. Butler had a 34-21 edge in rebounds, sank 21 of 38 shots from the floor and 14 of 18 from the line.

"Their guards are quick and they can take the ball away,"Lewandowski said. "Fortunately, we were able to overcome that."

Notes:Longtime Butler Basketball Boosters member George Frost was honored during a halftime ceremony. He was presented with a plaque by the boosters, a proclamation from the Butler County Commissioners and a commemorative basketball. ... North Allegheny's girls defeated New Castle Friday night, clinching at least a tie for the section title for the Butler girls basketball squad.

PINE-RICHLAND 47Eric Holmes 2-5 0-0 4, Eric Kordenbrock 7-18 0-1 17, Brett Matson 3-13 3-4 9, Kevin Wissinger 1-5 1-1 3, Ian Hennessy 1-2 2-2 5, R.J. White 3-6 1-4 7, Tommy Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Mike Felker 1-1 0-0 2.

Totals: 18-51 7-12 47

BUTLER 59Mike Pratkanis 5-10 0-0 10, Jeff Slater 5-8 7-7 17, Cody Fleeger 3-8 5-7 12, Austin Snodgrass 0-0 0-0 0, Logan Renwick 1-1 1-2 3, Nick Rossmiller 4-6 1-2 10, Jeff Tompkins 1-1 0-0 2, Christos Klutinoty 2-4 0-0 5.

Totals: 21-38 14-18 59

Pine-Richland 17 8 5 17—47Butler 15 13 15 16—593-point goals: Kordenbrock 3, Hennessy; Fleeger, Rossmiller, Klutinoty

JV: Butler, 49-37 (B:Bob Swartwout 16, P-R:Colin Ryan 13

Tuesday: Butler at North Allegheny