Sour Saturday
BUTLER TWP — Defending WPIAL Class 3A girls basketball champion Mohawk got back on track Saturday — at Butler's expense.
The Warriors — who have all five starters back this season — lost by 16 points at North Catholic Thursday night. They bounced back with a 50-30 triumph over the Golden Tornado on Butler's floor.
“We just didn't play well enough today,” Butler coach Mark Maier said. “Mohawk has a lot of experience and took advantage of our mistakes.
“Too many turnovers (18) ... those are missed opportunities to score and you can't do that against a team that good.”
A Sarayne Forbes layup late in the first quarter pulled Butler (5-4) within 10-6, but the Warriors (10-2)went on an 11-0 run at that point to open up a 15-point advantage.
The Tornado never got closer than eight the rest of the way.
“You always worry about these Saturday afternoon games,” Mohawk coach Mike O'Lare said. “When we play on Saturdays, we like to be at home, but you can't always control that.
“You expect a lot of missed shots and turnovers, but overall, I thought we played pretty well.”
Alison Altman sank a pair of layups and stuck back an offensive rebound to trigger an 8-0 Butler run. Forbes completed the run with a layup of her own to pull the Tornado within 21-13 late in the first half.
Another Mohawk burst — this one a 12-0 run in the third quarter — gave the Warriors a 38-17 lead with 2:02 left in the period and ended the competitive portion of the game.
“We had some good individual efforts today — Ali had a strong game — but just not enough,” Maier said.
Altman had nine points and six rebounds for Butler, which had no one score in double figures. Forbes had eight points and four rebounds, Makenna Maier seven rebounds.
The Tornado did enjoy a 36-18 edge in rebounding.
Butler sank only 12 of 45 field goal attempts and got to the foul line on just three occasions. The Tornado had a four-game winning streak snapped.
Nadia Lape had 13 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists for Mohawk. Paige Julian had 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, Hannah McDanel 13 points and a pair of steals.
“We usually like to get the ball and go attack the basket,” O'Lare said. “But with a big lead, there's no sense in taking a chance on giving them back possession so quickly.
“We played at a more deliberate pace in the second half.”
Butler returns to action Monday night, hosting unbeaten North Allegheny.
“We're 5-2 in the section, tied for second place at the turn,” Maier said. “We're excited about that and we're excited about the challenge awaiting us Monday.”
MOHAWK 50Jordan Radzmynski 0-2 1-2 1, Abigail Shoaff 2-3 0-0 6, Paige Julian 5-10 2-3 13, Hannah McDanel 4-8 3-4 13, Nadia Lape 4-10 2-2 13, Alexis Shiderly 2-2 0-0 4, Deyani Revis 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 17-38 8-11 50.
BUTLER 30Sarah Fiorina 1-2 0-0 2, Sarayne Forbes 4-12 0-0 8, Justine Forbes 0-4 1-2 1, Hannah Aldridge 0-0 0-0 0, Sam Miller 2-5 0-0 5, Alison Altman 4-8 1-2 9, Makenna Maier 1-9 2-2 5, Maisy Gibson 0-2 0-0 0, Aubree Tack 0-1 0-0 0, Kate Ogin 0-1 0-0 0, Yenkeira Rivera 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 12-45 4-6 30.Mohawk 13 10 16 11 — 50Butler6 7 8 9 — 303-point goals: Shoaff 2, Julian, McDanel 2, Lape 3; Miller, MaierJV: Butler, 53-28 (B: Justine Forbes 14, Jess Chwalik 10)Monday: North Allegheny at Butler
