Tigers caged

Tigers caged
Tornado girls breeze to win over NA for 3rd straight section crown

BUTLER TWP — From start to finish and at both ends of the floor, the Butler girls basketball team played with a purpose Monday night.
The Golden Tornado clinched their third straight Section 3-AAAA title with a thorough dismantling of North Allegheny in a 70-45 decision.
Olivia Bresnahan's triple-double of 21 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds highlighted the Butler victory. She also managed eight steals.
The senior scored 11 of her points in a first quarter that saw the Tornado force nine turnovers.
Butler's 18-13 edge after one period wasn't a true indication of the Tornado's dominance.
"We were able to set the tone early," said Bresnahan. "In the past, we've gone up against good teams and have struggled in the first quarter, and it turned out to be a battle the entire game.
"But tonight, we came out ready to play," she added.
"Our defense jumped on them right away," said Butler coach Dorothea Epps. "And they had nobody who could match up with Olivia. She had a phenomenal game tonight."
Both teams were red hot entering the game. Butler was riding a nine-game winning streak, while the Tigers had won eight straight since a 51-46 home loss to Butler Jan. 9.
"Over the last few weeks, we stepped up defensively," said Tigers coach Sherri McConnell. "We really began to understand our roles on the floor and responded well to what teams were throwing at us.
"But right from the start, we weren't ready at all to play tonight."
NA trailed 38-24 at halftime and the team held its own for the first half of the third quarter, down 43-30 with 3:40 left in the period.
But 3-pointers on consecutive possessions by Butler's Emily Wise and Casie Cygan pushed the Tornado lead to 19 points with 2:49 left in the quarter.
The Tigers managed just three field goals in the final 11:40 of the game.
Cygan and Katresa Savisky played well in supporting roles for Butler, as each scored 13 points.
North Allegheny had 27 turnovers in the game and Butler 19.
The Tornado (12-5, 10-0) have five games remaining on their regular-season schedule, including section contests against Moon (Monday) and Seneca Valley (Feb. 10), before the WPIAL playoffs begin.
Last season, Butler entered the postseason as section champions before being upset by Gateway in the first round.
"We laid an egg last year," said Epps. "But this team has learned from that and they're more focused now."
Despite the loss, the Tigers (13-5, 6-3) also clinched a playoff spot.

NORTH ALLEGHENY 45
Alysia Libby 1 3-4 6, Alexis Aiken 4 8-9 17, Chandler Caufield 2 0-0 4, Paige Hufnagel 4 0-1 8, Emily Bergman 1 0-0 2, Zoe Calabrese 3 2-3 8, Leslie Barksdale 0 0-0 0, Brenna Burry 0 0-0 0, Lauren Scheurer 0 0-0 0, Angela Sipes 0 0-0 0, Kelly Brennan 0 0-0 0, Alex Blumer 0 0-0 0. Totals: 15 13-17 45.
BUTLER 70
Katresa Savisky 6 0-0 13, Becky Nowacki 0 3-4 3, Olivia Bresnahan 7 7-14 21, Amanda Dymun 0 2-2 2, Jasmine Bailey 1 0-0 2, Emily Wise 2 2-2 8, Casie Cygan 5 1-3 13, Cait Baxter 1 0-0 2, Ali Sedwick 2 0-0 6, Casey Fleeger 0 0-0 0, Amber Steinheiser 0 0-0 0, Angie Nowacki 0 0-0 0, Mackenzie O'Donnell 0 0-0 0, Allie Houk 0 0-0 0, Sam Marak 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 15-25 70.

North Allegheny 13 11 8 13—45
Butler 18 20 17 15—70
3-point goals: North Allegheny 2 (Libby, Aiken); Butler 7 (Wise 2, Cygan 2, Sedwick 2, Savisky).
JV score: Butler 62-47 (B-Cait Baxter 18 points; NA-Jessica Mancosh 19)