Butler girls basketball ‘out-executed’ in home holiday tournament loss to Altoona

December 28, 2024 Last Updated: December 28, 2024 05:43 PM Sports

Butler head coach Mark Maier giving instructions to the team during a timeout in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Cameryn Booher (4) looks to pass the ball in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Eva Stutz (10) looks to pass in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Sydney Patterson (15) fights to prevent a jump ball in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Malina McElroy (1) looks to pass the ball in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Cameryn Booher (4) passes the ball in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) charges the lane in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) looks for an opening in the lane against Altoona in a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Sydney Patterson (15) looks to drive to the lane in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) sets up for a jump shot in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler head coach Mark Maier directs his team from the sideline in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Sydney Patterson (15) looks to pass in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) leaps for the opening tipoff against Altoona's Brionna Hudson (13) to start a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Casey Clouse (34) looks to pass in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Malina McElroy (1) shoes a 3-pointer in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Cameryn Booher (4) shoots a foul shot in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Malina McElroy (1) guards Altoona's Lanie Wilt (24) in a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Ashton Huff (22) takes a shot in front of Altoona's Raylin Eyer (25) in a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) takes a shot as she is defended by Altoona's Zaelinh Nguyen-Moore (12) in a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) looks to pass as she is double-teamed by Altoona's Zaelinh Nguyen-Moore (12) and Brionna Hudson (13) in a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

Butler head coach Mark Maier giving instructions to the team during a timeout in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Cameryn Booher (4) looks to pass the ball in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Eva Stutz (10) looks to pass in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Sydney Patterson (15) fights to prevent a jump ball in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Malina McElroy (1) looks to pass the ball in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Cameryn Booher (4) passes the ball in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) charges the lane in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) looks for an opening in the lane against Altoona in a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Sydney Patterson (15) looks to drive to the lane in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) sets up for a jump shot in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler head coach Mark Maier directs his team from the sideline in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Sydney Patterson (15) looks to pass in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) leaps for the opening tipoff against Altoona's Brionna Hudson (13) to start a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Casey Clouse (34) looks to pass in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Malina McElroy (1) shoes a 3-pointer in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Cameryn Booher (4) shoots a foul shot in a girls basketball game against Altoona in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Malina McElroy (1) guards Altoona's Lanie Wilt (24) in a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Ashton Huff (22) takes a shot in front of Altoona's Raylin Eyer (25) in a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) takes a shot as she is defended by Altoona's Zaelinh Nguyen-Moore (12) in a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle
Butler's Amelia McMichael (32) looks to pass as she is double-teamed by Altoona's Zaelinh Nguyen-Moore (12) and Brionna Hudson (13) in a girls basketball game in the Butler Holiday Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at Butler High School. Ralph LoVuolo/Special to the Eagle

BUTLER TWP — While it is the season of giving, Butler’s girls basketball team won’t want to repeat its generous performance in a 68-41 home loss to Altoona on Saturday.

The Golden Tornado allowed a total of 38 points off of second chances or turnovers, watching a four-point, third-quarter gap expand to 20 by the start of the fourth in the second day of the Butler Holiday Tournament.

“That’s crazy,” Golden Tornado coach Mark Maier said of the Mountain Lions’ boon.

Altoona (8-2) scored 19 points of the sort in each half. It had four starters and its sixth woman rack up double digit points, led by 15 from Lanie Wilt and Raylin Eyer. Butler (6-4) also had to deal with freshman Brionna Hudson, who turned in an impressive 12-point, 14-rebound double-double.

“We got those second-chance kick-out shots from our feeders,” Lions coach Chris Fleegle said. “We have some good shooters on our team.”

“It’s just what you think it would be,” Maier said. “We got out-rebounded, got out-hustled, got out-shot and out-executed. ... Sometimes you look across the bench and you say, ‘Great job. They earned it.’

“You’re not going to win turning it over as much as we did.”

Altoona went 14 of 33 (42.4%) from the floor in the first half, but the Golden Tornado kept on the visitors' heels with timely 3-pointers by Malina McElroy, Sydney Patterson and Amelia McMichael. The Lions’ defense focused on McMichael and held her scoreless in the opening frame, but she poured in seven of her team-high 10 points in the second.

“If I played us, I would deny her,” Maier said. “I (wouldn’t) want her getting any open shots.”

Altoona didn't want Butler getting many boards, either. The Lions had more grabs on the offensive glass (14) than the Golden Tornado did defensively (10).

“The rebounding didn’t help us,” Patterson said. “I think we should’ve rebounded a lot more, and we could’ve stuck beside them if we did that.”

Butler, which went 0-2 in its tournament, appeared to have the tools to make it a game at the midway point, using a possession where all five members of the offense touched the ball on quick passes before Avery Maier collected an off-target trey and stuck it back to make it 30-26.

But Altoona went on a 7-0 surge right after and didn't look back. Eyer sank three from beyond the arc in the final quarter alone.

“I just think we didn’t have as much energy as we did yesterday and other games,” Patterson said. “That definitely put us down in the hole. I just think when we have all that energy, it brings us up more. I just don’t think we had that today.”

The Golden Tornado begin section play Thursday against Woodland Hills.

“Yesterday’s performance doesn’t always guarantee today’s result,” Maier said. “That’s what we say. Just like today’s game doesn’t mean we’re going to lay an egg at Woodland Hills. It’s one game. It’s one chapter in our book of 22.”

“You’ve just got to let it go,” Patterson said. “Don’t let it affect your next game. ... You just can’t think about it and look in the future and don’t make those mistakes again.”

Altoona 20 10 22 16 — 68

Butler 15 9 8 9 — 41

ALTOONA 68

Lanie Wilt 7 1-1 15, Raylin Eyer 5 0-0 15, Zaelinh Nguyen-Moore 6 0-2 13, Brionna Hudson 6 0-0 12, Melana Eyer 3 2-2 10, Samantha Harpster 1 0-0 3. Totals: 28 3-5 68.

BUTLER 41

Amelia McMichael 3 2-2 10, Sydney Patterson 3 0-0 8, Avery Maier 2 2-2 7, Cameryn Booher 1 2-2 5, Eva Stutz 0 4-4 4, Malina McElroy 1 0-0 3, Emily Hoffer 1 0-0 2, Ashton Huff 0 1-2 1, Casey Clouse 0 1-2 1. Totals: 11 12-14 41.

3-point goals: Altoona 9 (R. Eyer 5, M. Eyer 2, Nguyen-Moore, Harpster); Butler 7 (Patterson 2, McMichael 2, Maier, McElroy, Booher)

Thursday: Butler at Woodland Hills