Behind Emily Cornish’s 5 treys, Butler girls basketball earns ‘sweet’ victory for coach’s birthday
BUTLER TWP — Mark Maier had his cake and ate it, too.
Butler’s girls basketball coach turned 56 on Monday. A cookie cake was purchased, to be delivered to the Golden Tornado locker room following the team’s game against Avonworth.
“I wasn’t going to have a piece unless we won,” Maier said.
Thanks to a 36-9 advantage in the second and third quarters, the Tornado allowed their coach to indulge in a birthday treat after a 53-28 win at the Butler Holiday Classic.
It took a while for Butler to find its groove. It made just one of 10 attempts from 3-point range in the first period and trailed the Antelopes 12-6.
“Just because you miss doesn’t mean it’s a bad shot,” Maier said. “I thought we took good shots early in the game, but they weren’t going in.”
That changed in the second quarter. Jordan Ryan, Emily Cornish and Emily Hoffer accounted for all of the points during a 14-3 run that put Avonworth down for good. By halftime, Butler was up 26-17.
The Tornado (7-2) drained 10 treys in the contest, with Cornish, a senior, hitting five of them.
“It’s a testament to her continuing to work and sticking it out,” Maier said. “She didn’t see much varsity time at all last year, but look at her now. She’s one of the leaders on the team in 3-pointers (with approximately 20), and is playing good defense.”
Perimeter shooting is not something Cornish is used to.
“I started for the junior varsity team last year, but it was a different dynamic,” she said. “My main job was driving to the basket. I wanted to play more for varsity, but we had such a strong senior class last year.
“This offseason, I was so excited to know that I would be getting more minutes and have more opportunities to display my game. I now get a lot of practice in with outside shooting.”
Maier was also impressed with his team’s low amount of turnovers — eight — against the Antelopes (2-6).
“Every turnover equals a shot you’re never able to take,” he said. “We have a lot of girls who can make shots, and if we’re not turning the ball over like today, that’s more shot attempts. The law of averages says we’ll make a decent amount.”
Cornish said she and her teammates were confident on the court against Avonworth’s zone defense.
“We tend to panic against a zone because teams can get into our passing lanes,” she said. “But today, we were able to stay calm against it.”
With Butler holding a comfortable lead, Cornish was pulled late in the third quarter and did not return.
“Every player wants to stay on the court, but I was happy to see other girls get some playing time,” she said. “They work just as hard as me, and they deserve it.”
Ryan made three treys and finished with 11 points for Butler.
AVONWORTH 28
Julia Nardozzi 2 2-2 7, Megan Obersteiner 3 0-0 9, Sydney Langford 0 1-5 1, Bria Onyshko 3 0-0 6, Harper Robinson 2 1-2 5, Alaina Kosarych 0 0-3 0, Ali Linhart 0 0-0 0. Totals: 10 4-12 28.
BUTLER 53
Malina McElroy 1 2-4 4, Julianna Lockwood 2 1-2 5, Eva Stutz 3 0-0 8, Emily Hoffer 3 1-1 7, Emily Cornish 5 0-0 15, Jordan Ryan 4 0-0 11, Kaitlyn Dick 1 1-2 3, Campbell Clouse 0 0-0 0, Payton Kamerer 0 0-0 0, Sydney Karenbauer 0 0-0 0, Sofia Matonak 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 5-9 53.
Avonworth 12 5 4 7 — 28
Butler 6 20 16 11 — 53
3-point goals: Avonworth 4 (Obersteiner 3, Nardozzi); Butler 10 (Cornish 5, Ryan 3, Stutz 2).
Tuesday: Moon at Butler
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Butler's Jordan Ryan (43) dribbles in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Malina McElroy (1) drives with the ball against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Hoffer (23) takes a shot against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's head coach Mark Maier makes a face during a play in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Hoffer (23) dribbles the ball against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Julianna Lockwood (5) drives to the rim against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Eva Stutz (10) passes the ball against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Cornish (33) looks on in a girls basketball against Avonworth game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Hoffer (23) looks to pass against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Jordan Ryan (43) dribbles up the court against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Hoffer (23) catches a pass against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Cornish (33) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Julianna Lockwood (5) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Payton Kamerer (13) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Payton Kamerer (13) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Cornish (33) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Julianna Lockwood (5) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Jordan Ryan (43) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Jordan Ryan (43) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Malina McElroy (1) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Cornish (33) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Cornish (33) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Malina McElroy (1) in a girls basketball game against Avonworth Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Jordan Ryan (43) looks to rebound the ball against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Cornish (33) cheers from the bench with Emily Hoffer (23) and Malina McElroy (1) against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Malina McElroy (1) looks to pass against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Cornish (33) dribbles against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Malina McElroy (1) looks to pass against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Eva Stutz (10) makes a pass against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Emily Cornish (33) defends against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Malina McElroy (1) gets a shot up against Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Malina McElroy (1) is defended by Avonworth in a girls basketball game Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, at Butler High School. JJ LaBella/Special to the Eagle
