Girls Stumble, Boys Breeze in Seneca and Wags’s Playoff Scenarios

Good day everyone. Things are finally beginning to take shape in Section 3 and as is the norm, the Golden Tornado is right in the thick of it. Due to the girls’ game at Franklin Regional being postponed (again), I only have two games to bring to you this week…oh wait. I have a special third one as well. And after all of that, I will break down exactly what Butler needs to do and have happen in order for both the girls and boys to reach the postseason.

First, the girls visited Seneca Valley this past Thursday. And it wasn’t good. In what has to be the biggest shocker of Butler’s season, the Lady Raiders knocked off the blue ‘n gold 52-48 in overtime. Butler seemed to trail the entire game until a late rally in the fourth quarter that landed the game in an extra session. With Amy Achesinski already fouled out, Kelly Miller picked up her fifth foul with Butler trailing by one, 44-43. Miller led the team with 20 points in the defeat. The girls’ road to the playoffs (for the sixth consecutive year) has become a bit bumpier than it once was.

The very next night the Butler boys served a bit of payback to Seneca Valley, handing the Raiders a 60-40 beating. The second quarter was clearly the key with the Tornado outscoring SV 23-6. Returning to the line-up were Kyle Shaffer, Adam Palace, and Justin Ehrman, all from injury. Tyrell Sales led Butler in scoring with 18 points.

The third game I visited this past week was the Bethel Park/Montour girls’ game. Now it was a great game, with Bethel Park victorious 44-38, but to me it was more than that. It was the first time this season I’ve been able to see Jonna Burke lead her new team, Bethel Park, as their head coach. She’s got a really good team and they will be tough to beat come playoff time. They’ve clinched the Section 5 title and probably a #1, 2, or 3 seed in the brackets.

Now for the playoff scenarios. These are the Section 3 Standings as of January 30, 2004 (courtesy nsnsports.com).

Girls: Boys:
North Allegheny : (9-1) (16-4) Shaler : (9-1) (14-5)
New Castle : (7-3) (19-3) Pine-Richland : (6-3) (14-6)
Pine-Richland : (6-3) (15-4) New Castle : (6-4) (13-8)
Butler : (6-4) (10-9) Butler : (6-4) (10-11)
Shaler : (3-7) (10-11) North Allegheny : (5-5) (10-10)
North Hills : (2-7) (8-13) North Hills : (3-7) (12-10)
Seneca Valley : (1-9) (4-16) Seneca Valley : (0-11) (2-19)

The boys’ road is a little easier than the girls’ at this point. All Butler needs to do is beat Pine-Richland and have Shaler defeat both P-R and North Allegheny. If that happens the three teams to make the playoffs would be Shaler, New Castle, and Butler. If Butler were to trip up against P-R, they would need to win at New Castle. That would then let four teams enter: Shaler, Pine-Richland, New Castle, and Butler.

The girls, because of their unfortunate loss to Seneca Valley, need a little bit more. If the girls could beat both P-R and New Castle, they’re in (the same for the boys). If the girls only beat P-R, they would need the Rams to lose to either Shaler or Seneca Valley. On the other hand, if they only defeat New Castle, the Red Hurricanes would have to lose to North Hills. Winning out is the best choice for the girls, seeing that help is harder to come by than it is for the boys.

Stat of the Week—After being on the sidelines for the entire season with a knee injury, senior Justin Ehrman returned to line-up against Seneca Valley. Despite not scoring, he did see playing time.

Upcoming Games: Boys host Ambridge (1/31/04); Girls host Pine-Richland (2/2/04); Boys host Pine-Richland (2/3/04); Girls and Boys at New Castle (2/6/04); Girls host Chartiers Valley (2/7/04); Girls at North Catholic (2/9/04).