Butler girls basketball falls to North Allegheny for 3rd straight loss but vows to ‘lean on each other’
BUTLER TWP — Butler girls basketball has been unable to find its footing in 2026, after winning eight of its first 10 games.
The Golden Tornado have dropped all four of their games in the new year, most recently a 46-32 setback to WPIAL Section 1-6A foe North Allegheny at Butler High School Monday night.
It was the third straight section loss for Butler (8-6, 1-4) after previous defeats to Seneca Valley and Pine-Richland.
“We are an unselfish team,” Butler junior forward Katie Dick said. “The only way for us to get out of this is to continue to play that way, lean on each other.”
The Tornado dug themselves a 31-13 hole in the first half before making things interesting in the second.
A 17-5 run was spurred by 3-pointers from Emily Hoffer, Eva Stutz and Emily Cornish. The last trey cut NA’s edge to 36-30 with 5:53 remaining in the fourth quarter. But the Tigers (6-7, 2-3) responded with a bucket from Rosalia Varlotta, who scored a game-high 22 points, and a conventional three-point play from Macy Sundgren to push their team’s lead back to double digits.
Butler scored just two points after cutting its deficit to six.
“I think we started to question what we were doing out there, not just the players but me, too,” Butler coach Mark Maier said. “I’m the coach, and it’s my job to have the girls ready and make adjustments.”
Varlotta (14 points per game) and Vange Balouris (16) entered the game averaging a combined 30 points per contest for the Tigers. While Balouris was held to eight, Varlotta had a monster first half of 18 points.
“That was surprising,” Maier said. “We had Eva and Payton Kamerer guard her in the second half, and they did a good job holding her to just four points.”
But the damage had been done — Varlotta’s 11 first-quarter points paced the Tigers’ 16-7 advantage in the period.
Already without junior forward Ashton Huff, who was lost for the season to a knee injury, Butler had to play most of Monday’s game without point guard Malina McElroy, who injured her left shoulder late in the first quarter.
Stutz scored 12 points and had four rebounds for Butler. Hoffer added seven points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Tornado are now in fifth place in the section standings. Only the top four will qualify for the WPIAL playoffs.
“You don’t want the girls to think it’s a matter of life or death with every shot, but there has to be a sense of urgency,” Maier said. “If we do in the second half (of the section schedule) what we did in the first, we’re done.”
Butler visits Karns City for an inter-district clash Thursday.
NORTH ALLEGHENY 46
Rae Shanahan 2 1-3 5, Macy Sundgren 2 2-3 7, Rosalia Varlotta 9 4-9 22, Vange Balouris 4 0-1 8, Lexi Momper 1 0-0 2, Audrey Robertson 1 0-0 2, Cate Pingpank 0 0-0 0, Lily Broms 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 7-16 46.
BUTLER 32
Eva Stutz 5 0-0 12, Julianna Lockwood 1 0-0 2, Emily Hoffer 2 2-3 7, Emily Cornish 1 0-0 3, Jordan Ryan 2 2-2 6, Katie Dick 1 0-0 2, Malina McElroy 0 0-0 0, Campbell Clouse 0 0-0 0, Payton Kamerer 0 0-0 0. Totals: 12 4-5 32.
North Allegheny 16 15 5 10 — 46
Butler 7 6 14 5 — 32
3-point goals: North Allegheny 1 (Sundgren); Butler 4 (Stutz 2, Hoffer, Cornish).
Thursday: Butler at Karns City
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Butler point guard Eva Stutz (10) has her layup knocked away by North Allegheny's Vange Balouris (12) in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler guard Malina McElroy (1) passes the ball to point guard Jordan Ryan (43) in a girls basketball game against North Allegheny Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler forward Emily Hoffer (23) lines up a 3-point shot in a girls basketball game against North Allegheny Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler forward Payton Kamerer (13) drives in for a layup attempt in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler guard Emily Hoffer (23) and North Allegheny's Rosalia Varlotta (11) scramble for the ball in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler guard Malina McElroy (1) drives in towards the net in a girls basketball game against North Allegheny Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler guard Malina McElroy (1) moves the ball up court in a girls basketball game against North Allegheny Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler guard Emily Cornish (33) looks for an open teammate to pass to in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler girls basketball head coach Mark Maier sits on the sideline in a girls basketball game against North Allegheny Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler forward Campbell Clouse (3) high fives the sideline after being subbed out in a girls basketball game against North Allegheny Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler guard Emily Hoffer (23) dribbles the ball in a girls basketball game against North Allegheny Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler girls basketball head coach Mark Maier speaks to the team during a time out in a girls basketball against North Allegheny game Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler point guard Eva Stutz (10) dribbles the ball in towards the net as North Allegheny's Maddie Williams (1) guards her during a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
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Butler point guard Emily Cornish (33) dribbles the ball with North Allegheny's Rosalia Varlotta (11) on her heels in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, at Butler High School. Matthew Brown/Butler Eagle
