Up to snuff
Butler's Dymun back to her old self in win

By Mike Kilroy
Eagle Staff Writer



BUTLER TWP — It was six points in the fourth quarter of a rout.
But they were six very important points for
Butler senior Amanda Dymun.
The guard had that quick first step, she had that aggressiveness to the hoop and she had that lateral movement that made her a key cog for the Golden Tornado girls basketball team last season.
A knee injury suffered in April nearly sabotaged her season. But Dymun was all smiles following
Butler's 65-34 win over Plum Tuesday.
"It was really nice because it was a long recovery," Dymun said. "I'm not quite there yet, but I'm getting pretty close. I was just happy to be able to play at all this year."
While fellow seniors Olivia Bresnahan and Casie Cygan get most of the attention for the section champs, it might be Dymun and the rest of the supporting cast who will get
Butler through the WPIAL playoffs.
"I'm elated (Amanda) was able to come back, because it was her senior year and she's worked very, very hard to get back," said Butler girls basketball coach Dorothea Epps.
Dymun wasn't sure if she would make it back.
Doctors told her she wouldn't be able to play again until January.
Defiant, Dymun returned by early November, but she was nowhere near the player who terrorized teams on defense and showed no fear going to the hoop on offense.
"My game was all about being aggressive," Dymun said. "After the injury, I couldn't be aggressive. It was hard not being able to do the things I was used to doing. But at least I wasn't sitting on the bench the whole season like others who have had this kind of injury."
By the time Dymun showed off her old form in the fourth quarter against
Plum, the game had long since been decided.

Butler (16-5) used a mauling full-court press to force a slew of turnovers and to score a slew of points.
Casie Cygan netted 15 points and Olivia Bresnahan had 13 for the Golden Tornado.
Another senior, Katresa Savisky, scored all eight of her points in the first quarter.
The game was more of a tuneup for the playoffs. It also served notice that if
Butler is to make a long postseason run, it will need more than just the scoring punch of Bresnahan and Cygan.
Butler has seen more than its share of success during the regular season the last three years. The Golden Tornado have won 24 straight section games and 35 of the last 36.
"That's huge for any program to accomplish," Bresnahan said.
Section dominance is fine. But
Butler wants a WPIAL championship to cap it off.
The playoff pairing meeting is tonight.
Butler could get a first-round bye.
Last year, it was one-and-done for the Golden Tornado in the playoffs — a feeling none of the seniors wants to experience again.
"It really stung last year," Bresnahan said. "We weren't supposed to lose. We're definitely not letting that happen again.
The game capped the home careers of the seven seniors.
Bresnahan happily climbed a step ladder and cut down a piece of the net, followed by her senior teammates and the rest of the roster.
Bresnahan, who is a candidate for the McDonalds All-American team and will play next season at
Florida State, has been part of three section titles and four trips to the WPIAL playoffs.
Butler is 76-19 overall and 42-6 in the section since Bresnahan played her first game for the Tornado.
"It hasn't hit me yet that I won't play another game here," Bresnahan said. "It's really sad, but it's also a good feeling, too, for how much we have accomplished. It's not like I'm not leaving without anything."
Or without a net.

PLUM 34
Anna Flood 0-0 0-0 0, Angelenea Borriello 0-3 0-0 0, Michelle Proviano 1-7 0-0 3, Jordan Pogue 2-2 0-0 5, Karleigh Weichler 0-9 0-1 0, Kelsey Robertson 0-0 0-0 0, Kelsie Gestrich 0-0 0-0 0, Regan Donatelli 1-2 1-2 3, Taylor Adams 6-9 2-5 14, Alyssa Collins 0-2 1-2 1, Lindsay Deemer 1-6 5-6 7. Totals: 11-40 9-16 34.
BUTLER 65
Casey Fleeger 0-4 0-0 0, Katresa Savisky 2-4 4-4 8, Becky Nowacki 3-3 0-0 6, Olivia Bresnahan 4-9 5-9 13, Amanda Dymun 3-4 0-0 6, Samantha Marak 0-0 0-0 0, Amanda Steinheiser 0-0 0-0 0, Ali Sedwick 1-5 1-2 3, Jasmine Bailey 2-2 1-2 5, Emily Wise 3-5 1-2 9, Angie Nowacki 0-0 0-0 0, Casie Cygan 6-12 0-0 15, Amanda Houk 0-0 0-0 0, Mackenzie O'Donnell 0-0 0-0 0, Caitlyn Baxter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 24-48 12-19 65.
Plum 12 5 6 11—34
Butler 21 11 20 13—65