BUTLER TWP — The Butler girls basketball team is back in the playoffs.

Mackenzie O'Donnell scored a game-high 17 points as the Golden Tornado held off Shaler for a 38-31 Section 3-AAAA victory on Thursday night at Butler High School, clinching a WPIAL postseason berth for the first time since 2010.

“I'm really happy for the girls that are seniors,” said Butler coach Dorothea Epps. “I'm just happy they stayed with it and kept working. They've stepped up. I'm glad they're getting rewarded.”

O'Donnell — one of the team's five seniors — helped Butler jump out to a fast start with nine points and three steals in the first quarter as the Tornado (11-9, 7-3) built an 11-2 cushion.

“That was really important because this was a big game to guarantee playoffs,” said O'Donnell of the early lead. “We were all determined to come out strong.”

The Titans (10-10, 4-6) fell into a tie with Seneca Valley for the section's final playoff spot, but they didn't go down easily.

Shaler quickly cut the deficit to 11-6 in the second quarter and O'Donnell was forced to the bench with foul trouble. However, Morgan Pfabe entered and gave the Tornado a boost with a pair of 3-pointers from the corner to maintain a comfortable gap.

“Everybody has a role,” said Epps. “I thought Pfabe came in and gave us some great minutes tonight. Those two 3s that she hit were huge and she plays some nice defense out there.”

Butler took a 19-11 advantage into halftime, before Shaler made a late charge.

Paige Quinn and Carly Harris knocked down 3-pointers to trim Butler's lead to 26-21 after three quarters. The Titans carried the momentum into the final frame as Liz Kline hit a floater in the lane to make it 26-24, cuing a timeout from Epps with 6:28 to play.

“We just kind of clawed back and we fought and competed,” said Shaler coach Neal Martin. “Butler, I mean they play really hard. They're coached well, they get after it and we knew we were going to be in another grinder. ... I was proud of our effort.”

Butler gave itself some breathing room with a Pfabe mid-range jumper, before Cait Baxter drove through the lane and fed O'Donnell, who was fouled while converting the hoop. She made the free throw to provide the Tornado a 31-24 cushion with 2:40 remaining.

Shaler inched within four points on a Harris trey, but Baxter made 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch, while Sam Marak added 1-of-2 to seal the win.

“I thought they showed a lot of character by keeping that lead and building back up on it,” said Epps.

Martin felt O'Donnell was the difference, especially while Butler took control early.

“She's the strongest girl in our section in the post,” said Martin. “Going out before the game shaking her hand, you could tell in her handshake that she's strong. She's going to be a good get for somebody, wherever she plays at the next level.”

Andi Lydon had a team-high seven points for the Titans, who had five girls score at least five. Abbey Conrad tallied a game-high four steals.

Shaler has section leader North Allegheny and last-place Pine-Richland left on the schedule, while Seneca Valley will play third-place Oakland Catholic and Butler as the squads try to earn a postseason bid.

“You have to take it one game at a time in this situation,” said Martin. “I'm confident that our girls will bounce back.”

O'Donnell was 7-for-10 shooting from the field and added four rebounds and a blocked shot. Baxter and Pfabe chipped in eight points apiece. Baxter also led the Tornado with four assists, while Marak dished out three helpers and collected a game-high five rebounds.

“I thought Cait Baxter had a nice night tonight. She really played an all-around good floor game,” said Epps. “Then I have my Sammy point guard. (Marak) doesn't do a lot of scoring, but she sure handles everything else.”

SHALER 31

Carly Harris 2-6 0-0 6, Courtney Bauer 1-6 0-0 2, Andi Lydon 0-2 7-8, Paige Quinn 2-10 0-0 6, Abbey Conrad 2-4 0-1 5, Liz Kline 2-5 1-2 5, Emily Ondo 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 9-34 8-11 31.

BUTLER 38

Cait Baxter 1-6 6-7 8, Sam Marak 0-0 3-5 3, Mackenzie O'Donnell 7-10 3-4 17, Kalynn Callihan 0-0 2-2 2, Natalie Barkus 0-2 0-0 0, Morgan Pfabe 3-4 0-0 8, Alyssa DiPippa 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 11-23 14-18 38.

Shaler 2 9 10 10—31

Butler11 8 7 12—38

3-point goals: Shaler 5-16 (Harris 2-3, Quinn 2-9, Conrad 1-2, Bauer 0-1, Kline 0-1); Butler 2-5 (Pfabe 2-2, Baxter 0-3).

Monday: Butler at North Hills