BUTLER TWP — Olivia Bresnahan drove to her left, spun and put up a feathery left-handed finger roll that found the net.

On Butler's next possession, she broke down the Mount Lebanon defender in front of her, dribbled to her right and pulled up for a short jumper that cut through the twine.

Time after time, Bresnahan found a way to score against the Blue Devils.

But time after time, Mount Lebanon found a way to counter on the other end.

In a girls basketball game that had a playoff-like atmosphere, Butler fell behind by 18 points at halftime, but stormed back to within one of the lead twice in the second half before falling 69-59 to the defending Class AAAA state champions at home Monday night.

"When (the Tornado) were down, they could have put their heads down. But they wanted to win," said Butler coach Dorothea Epps. "They had the will. They had the desire. We don't take moral victories, but I learned a lot about my team tonight."

And Mount Lebanon learned just how good Bresnahan is.

After being held to nine points in the first half, Bresnahan responded with 21 points in the second half and nearly orchestrated a huge comeback and an upset over the Blue Devils, who are one of the top-ranked teams in the state and the nation after a 31-0 record last season.

Bresnahan was 13-of-22 from the field and tallied five assists and eight rebounds.

"She's the real deal," said Mount Lebanon coach Dori Oldaker of Bresnahan, who has committed to play at Florida State next season. "She put her team on her back. She hit some amazing shots that are just a given for her. But we have to do a better job playing against teams with unbelievable players like her."

After going 0-for-5 from the field in the first half, Casie Cygan also got hot in the final two quarters, hitting four 3-pointers and scoring 14 points in the final 16 minutes.

Butler opened the second half on a 19-4 run to cut the lead to two points. The Golden Tornado trailed 46-45 and 49-48 with possession in the fourth quarter but couldn't get the lead.

Mount Lebanon never trailed in the game.

"If we could have gotten the lead, gotten over that hump, who knows?" Epps said.

While Bresnahan was keeping Butler within striking distance, Madison Cable was making sure the Golden Tornado stayed at arm's length.

Cable scored 24 points for the Blue Devils and hit two huge shots in the fourth quarter to keep her team ahead.

Cable was 10-of-15 shooting and picked up the slack for 6-foot-1 center Lauren Arbogast, who spent large chunks of the game on the bench in foul trouble.

Mount Lebanon was able to survive its season opener, but with a 32-game winning streak, Oldaker said her team can expect more difficult tussles in the future.

Just like the Blue Devils got from Butler.

"This is the best thing for us," Oldaker said. "We are going to see the best from every team we play."

MOUNT LEBANON 69Anna Kestler 3-8 3-3 10, Jess Babe 1-3 0-0 2, Chelsea Apke 3-9 0-1 7, Madison Cable 10-15 2-3 24, Lauren Arbogast 6-9 1-3 13, Emma Pellicano 0-2 1-2 1, Kelly Johnson 2-4 3-4 7, Angele Hagy 2-3 0-0 4.

Totals: 27-53 10-16 69

BUTLER 59Olivia Bresnahan 13-22 4-8 30, Casey Fleeger 2-7 0-0 6, Katrisa Savisky 2-2 0-1 4, Casie Cygan 5-12 0-0 14, Emily Wise 1-2 0-0 3, Jasmine Bailey 0-1 0-0 0, Allie Houk 0-0 0-0.

Totals: 24-47 4-9 59.

Mount Lebanon 17 18 8 26—69Butler 13 5 23 18—593-point goals: Mount Lebanon 5 (Kestler 2, Apke, Cable 2); Butler 7 (Fleeger 2, Cygan 4, Wise).

Wednesday: Butler at KSA Classic in Orlando, Fla.