Extra work pays
Butler boys drop New Castle in OT

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By John Enrietto
Eagle Sports Editor

BUTLER TWP — Sporting an eight-point lead with 3:41 remaining, Butler boys basketball coach Joe Lewandowski still wasn't sure.
"We're playing New Castle and the premier high school basketball coach in this part of the state," he said after the game. "I figured it wasn't over."
He figured right.
Trailing 46-38, the Red Hurricanes went on an 11-0 run to take the lead before Butler forced overtime.
The Tornado dominated the extra session and came away with a 63-53 victory for their sixth consecutive triumph.
"This is so big for us," senior guard Blake Anderson said. "It's the first time we seniors have beaten New Castle and it keeps our momentum."
For a while it appeared that momentum was going to desert the Tornado when they desperately needed it.
The game was tied at 11 after one quarter, but the Tornado (10-6, 4-3) took control after that and led by as much as 38-28 midway through the third quarter.
Their lead stood at 46-38 when Daresse Henderson drained a 3-pointer for New Castle, then Anthony Harvey added a pair of free throws.
Spencer Lane, a 6-foot-3 forward, shifted to the corners and drained 3-pointers on New Castle's next two possessions, giving his team a 49-46 lead with 2:19 left.
After Anderson sank a pair of free throws, New Castle ran some clock before leading scorer Harvey drove for a wide open layup — and traveled with 1:30 left.
"He's our best player," New Castle coach John Sarandrea said. "If he puts that shot in, we may have gone on to win.
"But I can't fault the kid. He's done a whole lot of good for us."
Harvey leads the 'Canes with 20.1 points per game.
Butler knotted the game at 49, but not easily. Noah Hartung missed a pair of free throws, but teammate Cody Fleeger grabbed the offensive rebound. Hartung was fouled again and sank the second of two free throws to tie the contest.
Henderson and Butler's Jade Burka exchanged layups and New Castle held for the last shot. Henderson's 3-pointer just before the buzzer bounced off the rim.
"We were happy to get the game to overtime, but we missed our chances to win the game in regulation," Sarandrea said.
"Butler completely controlled the overtime. There's no doubt about that."
A pair of Burka layups gave the Tornado a 55-51 lead in the extra period. With the Tornado holding a 55-53 advantage, Anderson drove to the hoop and laid the ball in with 2:12 left.
With Butler up 59-53 and 1:12 to go, Anderson again drove to the hoop, was fouled and sank both free throws to ice the win.
"We weren't going to hold the ball," Anderson said. "We had to keep attacking. If you pull back and try to keep possession, you might make a mistake and give the ball up."
Burka paced Butler with 23 points and 15 rebounds. New Castle had only 16 rebounds as a team. Anderson had 21 points, three assists and three steals.
Butler won the game despite point guard Alan Jackson fouling out with 4:37 left in regulation. The Tornado also overcame 21 turnovers and a 10-for-25 performance at the foul line.
"A lot of weird stuff like that is happening to us," Sarandrea said. "We're a dysfunctional basketball team. We've been overdue to get a team like that. We've got one this year."
Harvey led New Castle (8-7, 3-4) with 16 points, but hit just three of 13 field goal attempts. Lane had 20 points.
Butler held a 37-16 rebounding advantage. Fleeger had nine rebounds off the bench.
"Beating New Castle was a hurdle we had to overcome because we haven't beaten them in so long," Lewandowski said. "This is a big, big step for us."
Friday's win was just Butler's third over New Castle in the past nine years and its first under Lewandowski.
NEW CASTLE 53
Daresse Henderson 3-5 0-0 7, Anthony Harvey 313 9-11 16, Aaron Keys 0-2 1-2 1, Nick Colella 2-8 0-2 5, Dan DeJohn 1-4 0-0 2, Spencer Lane 7-11 3-4 20, Chris Larocca 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 17-44 13-18 53
BUTLER 63
Noah Hartung 2-2 1-6 5, Cody Fleeger 1-3 1-3 3, Nick Martini 1-5 0-0 3, Alan Jackson 4-6 0-0 8, Blake Anderson 7-12 56 21, Jade Burka 10-12 3-9 23, Aaron Dorondo 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 25-40 10-25 63
3-point goals: Henderson, Harvey, Colella, Lane 3; Martini, Anderson 2
JV: Butler, 55-44 (B-Mike Pratkanis 13, Matt Maloy 12