The final game of the Butler boys basketball season wasn't the team's most memorable.

However, it was its most typical.

The Golden Tornado had to win at New Castle last weekend to end a five-year run of missing the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs.

Butler fell behind by 11 points and came back to tie the game. It fell behind by seven and came back to take a brief lead. It fell behind by 13 and came back within six — but no closer, and New Castle won the game.

The Golden Tornado —a scrappy bunch that barely fell short — lost out on a playoff bid for the sixth straight year.

Only this one hurts more than the other five. At least it should, because this was Butler's best basketball team since the Tornado's run to the WPIAL championship game in 2000.

Consider the following:

Butler's final won-loss record of 14-10 is the best of all the Quad-A teams that didn't reach the playoffs.

Butler has a better record than two teams — Hempfield at 13-11, Central Catholic at 10-13 — in the Quad-A playoff field.

Butler defeated six Quad-A playoff teams during the regular season: Albert Gallatin, Central Catholic, New Castle, Mt. Lebanon, Shaler and North Allegheny. The Tornado also defeated Burrell, a Class AA playoff team.

Still, the Tornado are left on the outside looking in.

One reason is their 0-3 start in section play. Butler began the section campaign by losing 52-26 to Pine-Richland at home, by 15 points at North Allegheny and by 19 to Fox Chapel at home.

The Pine-Richland loss was key because Butler played that game without would-be starters Noah Hartung, Blake Anderson and Alan Jackson. The 26 points the Tornado scored that night were a season-low.

This team came together after those three losses, reeling off eight straight victories after the Fox Chapel defeat.

But, in retrospect, the damage was done.

The biggest reason for the Tornado's demise was a 37-32 home loss to Shaler Jan. 31.

When you hold a team to 37 points on your home floor, you should win.

Had Butler won that game, it would be preparing for a playoff game this week.

That is what's nice about the section setup in the WPIAL. You have 14 section games that are the only ones that count toward making the playoffs. You need to win the majority of them to get in.

Butler's boys won half of them, which wasn't not good enough.

Butler's girls won nine of them, including road wins at Seneca Valley and New Castle, to move on.

Still, it's not easy knowing a Butler team that rallied from 15 points down in the final three minutes to steal a win at Seneca Valley is not in postseason play.

This team saw Jade Burka emerge as one of the best big men in the section and Anderson emerge as one of Butler's best players of this decade.

It didn't have Hartung for half the season or talented junior forward Sean Lowry for the entire season.

It now loses nine seniors, including many tireless workers in practice who rarely saw the floor on game nights.

Butler isn't in the playoffs. But it's a team I'll remember for a long time.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle.