BUTLER TWP — If simply surviving its Section 1 Class 6A opener against North Hills wasn’t on Butler’s mind entering Thursday’s girls basketball clash, it certainly was in the waning moments of the game.

Sydney Patterson’s jumper with four seconds remaining in overtime put the Golden Tornado up 55-53, a margin they won by after North Hills turned the ball over moments later in Butler’s gym.

The Tornado (5-2, 1-0) were without their best player, senior wing Amelia McMichael, who was out with an illness.

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“She’s averaging 18 points and eight rebounds per game, but no one player had to make up for all of that production,” Butler coach Mark Maier said. “We told the girls that everybody had to do just a little bit better tonight.”

It was enough, but not without some tense moments.

The Indians (2-5, 0-1) managed an 8-0 run in the final five minutes of regulation to pull even with Butler at 45.

Sophia Regan then put North Hills up 52-49 with a 3-pointer with 70 seconds left in overtime. Patterson drained a pair of free throws, and Malina McElroy’s layup gave the hosts a one-point lead before Gia Minton tied the game again with a free throw at the other end.

The stage was set for Patterson.

“We wanted her taking the last shot, but not until five or six seconds were left. In case of a miss, we wanted a chance at a rebound and putback,” Maier said. “Syd took a 12-footer (just inside and to the right of the free-throw line), and that’s a tough shot.”

The basket got Butler off on the right foot in section play, something the Tornado failed to do last year when they dropped their first three section contests, never recovered and missed the district playoffs.

“It felt really good watching that shot go down, but my teammates helped put me in position to win the game,” Patterson said. “It was a team effort.”

Patterson scored 13 points and dished out six assists in the game. Avery Maier hit four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points while McElroy netted 12.

Turnovers were a thorn in Butler’s side the entire second half and into overtime. In the final 20 minutes of the game, they handed possession to the Indians 20 times.

“There was a point there where we were playing not to lose and ended up turning the ball over,” Maier said.

North Hills won a section title last year in Class 5A, but they graduated six seniors from that team. The Indians started three underclassmen Thursday, including freshman point guard Zoe Devlin, who led her team with 17 points.

“She’s getting a lot of minutes and does so much for the team,” North Hills coach Jason Pirring said. “Even without (McMichael), we knew it was going to be a fight tonight. Butler is one of the best teams in our section.”

The Tornado received productive minutes from a number of non-starters. Ashton Huff, a sophomore forward, knocked down a shot in overtime and Eva Stutz drained one of Butler’s six treys.

Butler hosts Latrobe on Monday.

NORTH HILLS 53

Gia Minton 3 5-10 11, Zoe Devlin 6 3-4 17, Delaney Amato 2 1-2 5, Sophia Regan 4 0-0 12, Emerson Schall 1 0-0 3, Lily Zickefoose 2 0-0 5, Lucy Pirring 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 9-16 53.

BUTLER 55

Malina McElroy 6 0-0 12, Cam Booher 2 0-0 5, Sydney Patterson 5 3-3 13, Avery Maier 5 0-0 14, Casey Clouse 2 2-2 6, Eva Stutz 1 0-0 3, Ashton Huff 1 0-1 2, Emily Hoffer 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 5-6 55.

North Hills 13 8 14 10 8 — 53

Butler 14 12 14 5 10 — 55

3-point goals: North Hills 8 (Regan 4, Devlin 2, Schall, Zickefoose); Butler 6 (Maier 4, Booher, Stutz).

Monday: Latrobe at Butler