The official word came Thursday: The Butler boys basketball team will not be advancing to the WPIAL playoffs for a seventh consecutive season.

The Golden Tornado were eliminated by the district's rule to decide four-way ties, which states that if four teams are tied for a playoff spot, their total number of wins against the other three determine who gets it.

Seneca Valley has four wins against New Castle, Butler and North Hills. None of the other three have that many. Therefore, a Butler win at New Castle Friday night sends the Raiders to postseason play.

Despite splitting against North Hills, New Castle (had it defeated the 'Canes Friday) and Seneca Valley, Butler stays home.

And it's a shame.

Regardless of the Butler-New Castle outcome Friday, this team overcame a lot to put itself in position even to think about making the playoffs.

Consider this:

• Going into the season, coach Joe Lewandowski had no idea what his lineup would be. He had a list of 23 players, unsure of which would suit up for varsity and/or junior varsity.

• Cody Fleeger was the only returning player with ample varsity playing time from the previous year.

• Sean Lowry, Butler's best player, missed all of last season with a knee injury.

• Butler opened section play with a 25-point loss at North Hills, a game in which it trailed 33-7 at halftime.

• The Tornado began the season 0-6 in section play.

• Butler had 14 different players start at least one varsity game this season.

Through all of that, the Tornado were shooting for a .500 season Friday night. They have defeated five Quad-A teams that are going to the playoffs.

Sure, the argument can be made that no team with a 4-8 record deserves to be considered for a postseason berth.

But sometimes things just work out that way. Somebody from this section is headed to the playoffs with a sub-.500 record in league play.

When I look back on this Butler boys basketball season, I'm going to remember a team that had maybe four players capable of steady production shooting the ball.

I'm going to remember a team whose skeptical fan base didn't expect to win more than a handful of games.

I'm going to remember Clark Leibler, a 5-foot-9 guard diving for a loose basketball in the closing seconds of a 23-point loss at Shaler.

I'm going to remember Lowry giving up his starting spot in the lineup at the Tornado's final home game so his five fellow seniors could start.

I'm going to remember Butler upsetting co-section leader North Allegheny that night, despite Fleeger and point guard Ryan Melder being out with injuries.

I'm going to remember Jace Lumley before returning to action five days after a knee injury because he refused to miss his final few games as a senior.

And I'm going to remember a team that learned it was eliminated from playoff contention by a tiebreaker rule, one day before its season finale.

Again, it's a shame.