Inside play key for SV girls vs. Butler
By John Enrietto
Eagle Sports Editor
BUTLER TWP — Once Seneca Valley fell behind early in the third quarter, the message from the bench became clear.
Get the ball down low.
“I thought we were taking too many threes,” SV girls basketball coach Dorothea Epps said. “I felt like we were stronger than them inside and we needed to take advantage of that.”
Allison Sevin, the Raiders’ 6-foot-2 senior forward, scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half Tuesday night as SV escaped with a 51-44 win at Butler in a mutual Section 1-6A section opener.
Two free throws each by Avery Maier and Sydney Patterson gave Butler (2-8, 0-1) a 29-26 edge with 5:57 left in thed third quarter. Sevin responded by hitting a short jumper for the Raiders.
She closed the quarter with a layup, a pair of free trows and sticking back an offensive rebound — her team’s final six points of the period — as SV took a 36-35 lead into the final eight minutes.
That’s when Sevin got a little help from her friends.
Sevin sank another layup herself, Gracie Cato drove to the hoop for a layup, Natalie Hambly and Makayla Canty drained treys as SV (9-2, 1--0) opened up a 46-38 lead with 3:30 to play.
The Golden Tornado never got closer than four the rest of the way.
The win was the Raiders’ eighth in a row.
“We’re at our best when everbody gets involved,” Sevin said. “I did need to have more of a presence inside and once we established that, other things opened up.”
Butler dropped its sixth straight game, but did get to within 46-42 with 2:32 to play before SV put the game away at the line.
“I keep telling the girls, any game is winnable, any game is losable,” Butler coach Mark Maier said. “I still believe that. We’re right there.
“We’re just not finishing.”
The Golden Tornado sank only one of 10 shots from the field during the fourth quarter.
“We’re not executing well down the stretch un games and that’s my fault,” Maier said.
Sevin had six rebounds to go with her 18 points for Seneca Valley. Hambly scored 12 points while Canty tallied 10 points, four assists and four rebounds.
The lead changed hands six times in the third quarter.
“We knerw Butler would make a run at us, that’s what hppens in rivalry games,” Epps said. “We could bend, buit not break. I like the way our girls handled this game.
“Getting section wins on the road is never easy. This is a nice way to start section play. Our girls play well together, they enjoy playing together. I think that’s showing in the calber of their play.”
Amelia McMichael led the Tornado with 16 points and six rebounds, Patterson had seven points, five rebounds and three assists while Malina McElroy came off the bench to score seven points.
SENECA VALLEY 44
Makayla Canty 3-8 2-2 10, Kaydence Kilhof 0-2 1-4 1, Lilly Sperry 0-1 0-0 0, Natalie Hambly 4-13 2-2 12, Brooke Dufford 0-0 0-0 0, Grace Cato 4-11 0-0 8, Emerson Peffer 1-3 0-0 2, Allison Sevin 7-8 4-5 18. Totals: 19-46 9-13 51.
BUTLER 44
Malina McElroy 2-4 3-4 7, Jessica Cwalik 1-6 0-0 2, Cameryn Booher 0-3 0-0 0, Eva Stutz 0-0 2-2 2, Sydney Patterson 1-8 5-6 7, Ashton Huff 2-3 1-2 5, Avery Maier 1-5 2-2 5, Amelia McMichael 6-14 3-3 16. Totals: 13-43 16-19 44.
Seneca Valley 15 11 10 15 — 51
Butler 9 16 10 9 — 44
3-point goals: Seneca Valley 4 (Canty 2, Hambly 2), Butler 2 (Maier, McMichael)
Thursday: Hempfield at Seneca Valley, Butler at Norwin
