Message sent
Butler puts section on notice with big win vs. NH

By John Enrietto
Eagle Sports Editor

BUTLER TWP— The mission has begun.
Mike Pratkanis grabbed 14 rebounds, three Butler players scored in double figures and the Golden Tornado outscored North Hills 34-15 in the second half in cruising to a 59-33 boys basketball victory Tuesday night.
The win came in Butler's section opener. The Tornado were winless in the first half of section play last year.
"We wanted to send a message tonight,"Pratkanis said. "We weren't ranked anywhere in the preseason ratings. We weren't even mentioned.
"Things are going to be different this year."
Butler (5-1, 1-0) did not allow the Indians (5-2, 1-1) to score more than 10 points in any one quarter. North Hills did not score a point against the Tornado starters during the fourth quarter.
A three-point play by R.J. Miller with 1:55 left in the game marked North Hills' first points of the final quarter.
Butler has allowed an average of 35 points per game in its five victories.
"We played pretty good defense tonight,"Butler coach Joe Lewandowski said. "We contested shots, took away their dribble penetration and allowed very few open looks.
"Our seniors have taken the responsibility of Butler boys basketball. They know the program is in their hands."
As a result, North Hills sank just 15 of 49 shots from the floor and placed no one in double figures. The Indians entered the game riding a five-game winning streak and averaging 61 points per game.
"This is a huge confidence boost, no doubt,"Lewandowski said. "But it's like a shooter's mentality. The next shot has nothing to do with the last shot. The next game has nothing to do with the last game."
Butler found its shooting eye early Tuesday, draining three 3-pointers in the first quarter. The Tornado sank 10 of 19 shots from the floor in the first half, including five treys.
Still, the lead changed hands five times and the score was even on three occasions in the first half before a 9-2 run at the end of the second period gave Butler a 25-18 edge at intermission.
Pratkanis keyed a surge early in the third quarter that broke the game open. He sank a layup 15 seconds into the period, drained a 3-pointer, hit a free throw after grabbing an offensive rebound and stuck back another offensive board.
After all that, the Tornado had a 37-22 lead barely three minutes into the second half.
"Mike Pratkanis dominated this basketball game,"Lewandowski said. "He was grabbing every rebound, it seemed, and was clogging up the passing lanes. And he did his part on the offensive end."
Pratkanis had 13 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots. No other Butler player had more than four rebounds. Indians standout Dante Anglin had four points and six boards for North Hills.
Christos Klutinoty had 15 points for Butler, including three treys, while Cody Fleeger had 14 points. Jeff Slater had six assists and five steals.
"It's much easier to shoot the ball when no one's out guarding you,"North Hills coach Buzz Gabos said "I wasn't happy with our defensive effort at all."
Butler (5-0) won the junior varsity game, 41-36, in overtime. Logan Renwick scored 13 points, including 6-of-6 from the foul line during the extra session.

NORTH HILLS 33
Cody Patton 2-9 0-0 4, Jeff Mittereder 0-2 0-0 0, Brandon Pavlik 2-5 0-0 4, Greg Sencak 3-8 0-1 6, Ryan Nauman 4-12 0-0 9, R.J. Miller 2-7 2-3 6, Mark Schneider 0-1 0-0 0, Dante Anglin 2-5 0-0 4. Totals: 15-49 2-4 33
BUTLER 59
Mike Pratkanis 5-7 1-3 13, Jeff Slater 3-5 0-2 6, Cody Fleeger 7-13 0-0 14, Austin Snodgrass 0-0 0-0 0, Logan Renwick 1-1 0-0 2, Nick Rossmiller 2-4 2-2 7, Ryan Melder 0-0 0-0 0, Christos Klutinoty 5-12 2-2 15, Nick Powers 1-1 0-0 2, Bob Swartwout 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 24-43 5-9 59

North Hills 10 8 10 5—33
Butler 9 16 20 14—58
3-point goals: Nauman; Pratkanis 2, Rossmiller, Klutinoty 3
JV: Butler, 41-36 in OT (B-Logan Renwick 13, NH-Justin Heinauer 9)