Seneca Valley girls basketball overcomes Butler’s buzzer-beating heroics in OT in pivotal WPIAL clash
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Seneca Valley gets ready to take the court against Butler in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Sydney Patterson dribbles past Seneca Valley's Regan Gallagher in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's bench and fans cheer on their team as they play Seneca Valley in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Regan Gallagher scores as Butler's Sydney Patterson defends in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Legacy Joseph-Short defends Butler's Sydney Patterson in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Brooke Dufford and Butler's Avery Maier leap for a jump ball in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Eva Stutz dribbles toward the hoop against Seneca Valley in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Reece McFadden and Butler's Amelia McMichael leap for a jump ball in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Avery Maier scores against Seneca Valley in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Cameryn Booher attempts a 3-point shot against Seneca Valley in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Seneca Valley's Gracie Cato (30) defends as Butler's Amelia McMichael, right, hits a 3-point shot in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Amelia McMichael shoots as Seneca Valley's Brooke Dufford defends in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Sydney Patterson makes a layup at the end of the first half against Seneca Valley in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Amelia McMichael passes the ball to teammate Ashton Huff while guarded by Seneca Valley in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Amelia McMichael makes a basket against Seneca Valley in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler head coach Mark Maier gives some pointers to during a timeout in a girls basketball game against Seneca Valley on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Eva Stutz sinks a 3-pointer against Seneca Valley in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
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Butler's Eva Stutz (10) and Seneca Valley's Lilly Sperry (15) battle for the rebound in a girls basketball game Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Seneca Valley High School. Holly Mead/Special to the Eagle
JACKSON TWP — Malina McElroy’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave Butler all the momentum entering overtime.
It did not last long.
The Golden Tornado turned the ball over on their first two possessions, and Seneca Valley dominated the extra period in a 64-52 girls basketball win Monday at SV’s William Paul Gymnasium.
“The girls were upset that we didn’t win the game in regulation, but they came out composed in overtime,” SV coach Dorothea Epps said. “They’re humble, but hungry. They knew this was a big game.”
About as big as it gets for early January.
Entering the night, Seneca Valley, Butler and Pine-Richland were tied for the lead in WPIAL Section 1-6A with records of 2-0.
The Raiders (8-4, 3-0) grabbed the lead for good with Gracie Cato’s bucket with 3:21 left in overtime, making it 52-50. When Reece McFadden converted a conventional three-point play with 1:57 left, SV held a 58-52 edge and was on its way to outscoring Butler 14-2 in overtime.
“That was such a big shot by Malina to tie it,” Butler coach Mark Maier said. “You’d like to think that momentum carries over, but turnovers hurt us. I liked the effort, though. We were down a good bit in the fourth.”
Before McElroy’s dramatic trey, Avery Maier hit two clutch 3-pointers — cutting SV’s lead to 46-44 and 48-47 late in the fourth.
Natalie Hambly and Cato pace the Raiders with 15 points per game each. The latter scored 23 to lead all scorers and McFadden, a freshman, tallied 21.
“Teams are keying on Natalie, and we need other girls to step up,” Epps said.
Maier scored 15 to lead Butler (7-5, 2-1), and Amelia McMichael scored 13, all in the first half.
The Raiders are in first place for now, but there’s a long way to go, including a rematch with Butler Jan. 31 on the Tornado’s court.
“We need to put these wins in our back pocket and move forward, one game at a time,” Cato said.
BUTLER 52
Malina McElroy 2 2-6 7, Sydney Patterson 3 2-3 9, Avery Maier 5 2-2 15, Amelia McMichael 5 2-4 13, Eva Stutz 2 0-0 6, Ashton Huff 1 0-0 2, Cameryn Booher 0 0-0 0, Casey Clouse 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 8-15 52.
SENECA VALLEY 64
Reece McFadden 7 6-11 21, Natalie Hambly 2 4-4 9, Brooke Dufford 4 1-2 9, Gracie Cato 8 7-9 23, Lilly Sperry 1 0-0 2, Legacy Joseph-Short 0 0-0 0, Lilliana Hudac 0 0-0 0, Ella Omasits 0 0-0 0, Erica Rebovich 0 0-0 0, Regan Gallagher 0 0-0 0. Totals: 22 18-26 64.
Butler 17 10 9 14 2 — 52
Seneca Valley 15 4 13 18 14 — 64
3-point goals: Butler 8 (Maier 3, Stutz 2, McMichael, Patterson, McElroy); Seneca Valley 2 (McFadden, Hambly).
Thursday: Woodland Hills at Seneca Valley
Friday: Pine-Richland at Butler
Correction: This story was updated at 12:50 p..m. Jan. 7, 2025, with Seneca Valley’s Gracie Cato correctly identified in the first photo.
