No. 5 Butler girls basketball’s season ends in WPIAL Class 6A first-round loss to Canon-McMillan
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Butler's Eva Stutz (10) shoots a corner 3-pointer against Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Butler senior Amelia McMichael (32) shoots a 3-pointer against Canon-McMillan in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Butler foward Amelia McMichael (32) shoots a tough layup between Canon-McMillan defenders in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Butler guard Malina McElroy (1) chases a loose ball ahead of a Canon-McMillan player after forcing a turnover in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Butler head coach mark Maier looks up after Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
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Canon-McMillan defeated Butler 58-41 in a WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal game Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, at Canon-McMillan High School. Eddie Clancy/Special to the Eagle
CANONSBURG — Avery Maier had designs of pulling Butler even with host Canon-McMillan as halftime approached Thursday night.
The Butler girls basketball senior’s corner 3-point shot was tipped, though, falling into the hands of the Big Mac’s Lauren Borella, who worked a few steps toward half-court and let it loose. The buzzer sounded before the ball reached the hoop.
And fell through.
The make, Borella’s only on the night, increased Canon-McMillan’s lead twofold. In what wound up a 58-41 WPIAL Class 6A first-round playoff loss at Canon-McMillan High School for the Golden Tornado, it hurt just as bad.
“I have a theory where I always feel like a shot at the end of the quarter or half is almost worth double,” Butler coach Mark Maier said. “Even if we’re making it. If we make one at the end of the half, two-pointer, I consider that, that almost feels like four to them. ... It felt like a six-point play.”
“It definitely made us a little bit more angry,” Golden Tornado senior Amelia McMichael said. “It just made us want to fight harder going out into the second half.”
But the fourth-seeded hosts poured in nine of the first 12 points out of halftime and cleaned up the offensive glass. The Big Macs (14-8) had nine rebounds on that end in the third quarter alone.
“It felt like every time they missed a shot, they got the offensive rebound,” Maier said.
By the end of the third, Canon-McMillan was up 10 on No. 5 Butler (11-11). McMichael, a West Chester commit, was limited to just two points by that juncture.
The Golden Tornado went 9 for 40 (22.5%) from the field before the fourth frame, including a 4-for-22 (18.1%) effort from beyond the arc.
“I’d say most of them were pretty good looks,” Maier said. “I thought we took some early ones. I thought some of those shots were early — you know, one pass, shot. Those are hard to make. Those don’t go in as often as the ones (where you) reverse it.”
“I feel like it just wasn’t our night,” McMichael said. “We had an off night. It’s not like we were taking bad shots. We were taking good shots, they just weren’t falling. ... Things happen. It’s basketball. It’s not going to be perfect.”
McMichael’s baseline layup and-one with 3:45 to go was her first field goal of the game. It pulled Butler within 13, but Canon-McMillan didn’t miss a try from the field the rest of the way. McMichael finished with 10 points in her final game and 1,072 for her high school career.
Early on, the Golden Tornado’s Cameryn Booher scored eight points, helping stake Butler to a 10-2 lead. A drought that lasted 5:47 yielded 12 unanswered for the Big Macs.
Canon-McMillan advances to Tuesday’s semifinals, where it will face the winner of No. 8 North Allegheny vs. No. 1 Norwin, which plays Friday in another quarterfinal.
BUTLER 41
Cameryn Booher 4 2-4 12, Avery Maier 4 1-1 10, Amelia McMichael 3 4-4 10, Sydney Patterson 3 0-0 7, Malina McElroy 1 0-0 2. Totals: 15 7-9 41.
CANON-MCMILLAN 58
Madison Clair 6 2-5 16, Samantha Miller 4 1-2 13, Izabella Bobitski 4 0-0 9, Faye Saunders 4 0-0 8, Brooke Stanton 1 0-0 3, Isabella Hunt 1 0-0 2, Julia Larouere 1 0-0 2, Lauren Borella 1 0-2 3, Olivia Ross 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 3-9 58.
Butler 13 4 10 14 — 41
Canon-McMillan 8 15 14 21 — 58
3-point goals: Canon-McMillan 9 (Miller 4, Clair 2, Borella, Bobitski, Stanton); Butler 4 (Booher 2, Patterson, Maier)
