2000-2001 Season

Copyright © 2001 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

"Now entering the HALL...Jonna Burke"...

Jonna's Jungle Ready to Roar in 2001-02
Although the Butler Lady Tornado took the final crushing blow from Erie McDowell in the PIAA playoffs to end the season, it certainly was not a failure. Of course the girls and the area would've loved to see a state title in the BHS trophy case. But the season was great no matter how you look at it. Butler ended the season with a 22 and 7 record, with three of the losses coming to the Western finalists Ambridge and Oakland Catholic. The team showed they can hang with the big name teams like Oakland Catholic and proved they are for real. The best thing about this season is the future. 22 and 7 may be nice, but sights are higher for next year. Despite losing great talents like Rachael Farabee, Bambi Lewis, and Rachael Achesinski to graduation, Jonna Burke's team returns a super squad. Point guard Adria Matonak will be back to lead the team on the court while sophomore 6'1" Kim Nowakowski still has two years left. And scoring-star Kristin Dillard returns for her senior season ready to destroy any unfortunate opponent that gets in the Tornado's way. Plus, three-point threat Caitlyn Connelly will be at 100% reigning terror onto the enemy from beyond the perimeter. Also, her younger sister Maura is making her presence felt in the Butler backcourt. But most importantly, the team as a whole will be ready to take Section 3 apart next year. So if, for some unknown reason, you're sitting at home next December or January, look towards Fairground Hill. And that gust of wind that moves your house in the middle of the night, it's "Jonna's Jungle" after another victim blows out of town. Girls' basketball is here to stay!!!-Wags
Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

PIAA 2nd Round
Butler - 43
Erie McDowell - 56

Erie McDowell (23-5) used a strong third quarter to defeat Butler (22-7) at Slippery Rock University, 56-43. Jessi Montie, a 5-8 junior, led McDowell with 23 points, going nine for 13 from the field. Kristen Dillard led Butler with 12 points, but made only one of 13 field goal attempts. Butler was outrebounded, 37-25. McDowell shot 50 percent from the field (20 for 40) compared to 28 percent for Butler (13 for 48). Butler made only two of 13 shots in the third quarter when it was outscored, 18-7. The Golden Tornado made only four of 16 3-point attempts.

PIAA 1st Round
Butler - 77
Carrick - 22
The Return of the Trey

The Butler Lady Tornado have had some hard fought games this year: Seneca Valley, Ambridge, and especially Oakland Catholic just to name a few. But, with all due respect to the Carrick girls, this was not one of them. Butler will advance to the PIAA second round following a 77-22 victory over Carrick. Carrick didn't score until more than 5 minutes into the game. Butler led 21-2 at the end of the first. It did not get any closer. Butler took a 48-10 lead into the half and closed the third period with a 70-13 lead. Top scorers for Butler were: Kristin Dillard, 13; Rachael Farabee, 11; Adria Matonak, 10; and Kim Nowakowski, 9. But the scoring onslaught was led by the returning Caitlyn Connelly. She had 6 three-pointers for a total of 18 points. As a team, Butler connected for 12 treys on the evening. Also her younger sister Maura scored 6 and had 5 assists. In the rebounding department, Dillard and Nowakowski had 9 each and Rachael Achesinski had 7. Butler out rebounded Carrick 46 to 24. Butler also had 13 steals. Butler's next opponent will be District 10 champion Erie McDowell on Tuesday, March 13 at a time and site TBA. Again the Butler girls will need your help as fans to get to the quarterfinals so show your support and team pride next Tuesday night!
Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

Tornado Ends WPIAL Run; PIAA's Around Corner
Butler - 46
Oakland Catholic - 51

In front of a Butler-partial crowd at Gateway High School, the Lady Tornado came up just short, 51-46, in their WPIAL semifinal game. Despite trailing 20-15 after the first quarter, Butler came back to lead the number two team in the state at the half, 30-28. The Tornado held onto a 41-40 advantage going into the fourth period. But in the final quarter, free throws made the difference. Butler was 0 for 2 while their opponent was 9 for 11. Kristin Dillard led Butler with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Adria Matonak had 13 points as well. Kim Nowakowski had 8 points and 8 rebounds. Butler left it all on the floor tonight. It might be disappointing that they lost, but the State playoffs start next week. Good luck girls and all of Butler is behind you!
Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

Butler "Knoch"s Out Seneca
Golden Tornado- 43
Seneca Valley - 40

In the best comeback of any kind in many years, the Lady Tornado defeated the Seneca Valley Raiders 43-40. The first quarter started rather normal for both teams. It was fast-paced and Butler had the lead 12-10. But Seneca stalled the Tornado in the second holding them to 4 points. Seneca led 18-16 at the half. It looked as if the Lady Raiders would walk away with the victory through most of the third. SV led 32-23 with one minute left until Butler put on a 5-0 run to close the quarter at 32-28. But yet again, Seneca gained control with a 38-29 lead with 5:19 to go. Neither team scored until the 4:12 mark when Rachael Farabee stole an inbounds pass for a lay-up and a foul. She made the foul shot and Adria Matonak got another steal for a 2-pointer. These 5 points occurred within the span of 5 seconds! Farabee stole another pass and called timeout. From here on out, it seemed that Seneca ran out of steam. Butler dominated the final 4 minutes with a 14-2 run to win the ball game. Leading the Tornado was Kristin Dillard with the following: 18 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 steals, and 3 assists. Matonak scored 8 with 3 assists. Kim Nowakowski grabbed 6 boards in the victory. Butler's record moves to 21 and 5. The next game, semifinal, is either Tuesday (2/27) or Wednesday (2/28) against the winner of Albert Gallatin and Oakland Catholic tomorrow. The site and time are yet to be determined. Check back here, www.goldentornadosports.com, for the updates. Also a special thank you to all of the great Butler fans who turned out at Knoch. You made the difference in noise and we'll need you again even more next week.
Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

Butler, Seneca Will Meet Again
Laurel Highlands - 47
Butler Tornado - 60

In a game played at a packed-to-the-rafters Ringgold gymnasium, the Lady Tornado defeated the Laurel Highlands Fillies 60-47. The game started back and forth throughout the first quarter ending in a 10-10 tie. But in the second period, Butler outscored Laurel Highlands 17-8 resulting in a halftime score of 27-18. From there, Butler didn't look back. Leading in scoring for Butler was Kim Nowakowski with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Sophomore Maura Connelly had 12 points and Rachael Farabee had 10. Kristin Dillard scored 11 and had 13 rebounds. Farabee also had 5 assists. The quarter-final playoff game between Butler and Seneca Valley, Friday Feb. 23, will be played at Knoch High School at 6:30 pm. We expect to see a huge turn out from Seneca, so Butler needs more than that. Come out and support the Tornado and help them advance to the semi-finals for the second year in a row. And remember to come back here at www.goldentornadosports.com for all the Butler High sports. Good luck girls and sink the Raiders!
Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

Butler Declaws Cougars
Blackhawk - 50
Butler - 62

The Lady Tornado will head into the WPIAL playoffs on an up note. Butler defeated triple-A power Blackhawk 62-50 on Monday night. Despite being down 26-17 halfway through the second quarter, Butler didn't give up. Butler went on a 11-3 run to cut the deficit to 29-28 at halftime. Butler grabbed its first lead at the end of the third at 39-38. They never looked back. Leading the Tornado was Kristin Dillard with 18 points. Adria Matonak had 11, Rachael Achesinski 10, and Kim Nowakowski with 9. Dillard and Matonak each had 4 assists. In rebounding, Achesinski had 9, and Dillard, Nowakowski, and Rachael Farabee each had 7. Butler ends its regular season with a record of 19 and 5. Now they will enter the first round of the WPIAL playoffs. Butler will play Laurel Highlands at Ringgold High School. The game is Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 6:30 pm. For the complete listing of the WPIAL playoffs, go to http://www.wpial.com/navigation/index_scoreboard.html and click on the basketball hyperlink.
Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician
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Hurricane Takes Tornado to Limit
Butler - 52
New Castle - 40

In a hard fought game all the way, Butler defeated New Castle 52-40. The game was tied 7-7 at the end of the first, but the Lady Tornado took a 22-15 lead into the break. New Castle battled back to cut the deficit to 38-33 after three quarters. Thanks in part to Bambi Lewis's three treys in a row, Butler held on. Leading scorers were Lewis with 14, Renee Slater with 12, and Adria Matonak with 9. Kristin Dillard had 6 points and 10 rebounds. Kim Nowakowski added 6 boards in the victory. Butler's record improves to 18 and 5, finishing third in the section with a 9 and 3 record. The final home game is Monday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 versus Blackhawk.
Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

Tornado's Comeback Falls Short
Ambridge - 44
Butler - 36

In front of an amazingly large crowd Monday night, the Ambridge Lady Bridgers defeated Butler, 44-36, in a hotly contested game. Butler led 8-2 until Ambridge scored 4 points to close the first quarter. In the second, the Tornado were outscored 15-5 and held scoreless for the final 5:09 of the half. Butler trailed 21-13 at halftime. In a great comeback, Butler tied the game with about 2 and a half minutes remaining. But the Bridgers won the free throw battle in the fourth. They got 15 of their 17 points from the foul line in the final period. Leading Butler, Kristin Dillard scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds. Kim Nowakowski had 11 points and 5 boards. Butler's record drops to 17 and 5, 8 and 3 in section play. Butler plays again Thursday, Feb. 8 at New Castle. The game is at 6:30 Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

Mt. Lebanon - 46
Butler - 36
The number 4 team in the state, defeated Butler 46-36 Saturday night. The Lady Tornado started off slow, trailing 10-4 after the first quarter. This would be the closet Butler would get. Butler's scoring was evenly divided as Rachael Farabee, Rachael Achesinski, Kim Nowakowski, and Kristin Dillard each had 6 points. Bambi Lewis and Maura Connelly each had 5. Lewis also had 5 assists. Nowakowski had 6 boards as Dillard had 3. Butler's record is now 17 and 4. Butler's final home game, Senior Night, is Monday Feb. 5 against first-place Ambridge. If Butler is victorious, they will move into a three-way tie for first. We expect a record turnout so get there early. The J.V.'s play at 6:00 and the varsity is at 7:30. Be there!
Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

Nowa's Night

Butler - 57
North Allegheny - 38

Despite a slow start, Butler just keeps on winning. At the end of the first quarter, the score was tied at 13. The Lady Tornado never looked back. The winning streak hit 6 with a 57-38 victory over North Allegheny. Rachael Farabee had 15 points and Kristin Dillard had 12. Both grabbed 6 boards apiece. Adria Matonak had 6 points, 6 assists, and 8 rebounds. But the star again was 6'1'' sophomore Kim Nowakowski. Nowa scored 22 and had 9 boards. Butler improves their record to 17 and 3 with a record of 8 and 2 in section play. The next game should be a good one. Butler travels to Quad A powerhouse Mount Lebanon on Sat. Feb. 3.
Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

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Seneca Valley - 44
Butler - 46 *
*-overtime
"Jonna's Jungle" Rocks The Raiders"

In, not possibly, but the most exciting game of the year (both genders) the Lady Tornado knocked off Section 3 leader Seneca Valley 46-44 in overtime. Butler continued to chip away at the Raiders' lead all night. SV led 17-12 after the first quarter, 32-29 at halftime, 38-37 after three, and it was tied at 42 going into OT. In overtime, Kristin Dillard cramped up but refused to seek medical attention and stayed in the game. With only seconds remaining, sophomore Kim Nowakowski put in the winning shot at the buzzer to seal the deal for Butler. Kristin Dillard led Butler with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Kim Nowakowski had 12 points with six rebounds and Bambi Lewis scored 12 as well. Guard Adria Matonak added 6 assists and 4 boards. Butler improves to 16 and 3 overall and 7 and 2 in the section. Butler travels to North Allegheny Monday, Jan. 29.
Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

It's Raining Treys

Butler - 76
Shaler - 50

The Butler Lady Tornado crushed Shaler, 76-50. Leading the Tornado was Caitlyn Connelly with 24 points; 8 for 9 from beyond the arc. She also had 4 steals. Also in double digits: Adria Matonak had 16 and Bambi Lewis had 13 with 4 3-pointers. As a team, Butler was 13 for 20 (65%) from the perimeter. Matonak also had 8 assists. Kristin Dillard had 7 points and Kim Nowakowski had 6. Both grabbed 4 rebounds for Butler. Butler is now 15-3 overall with a 6-2 section record. Butler's next game is huge. It's home Thursday, Jan. 25 against section leader Seneca Valley.
Copyright © 2000 goldentornadosports.com & Chris Wagner BHS Statistician

"Bound and Determined"
Butler - 55
North Allegheny - 45