Butler Sweeps North Hills, Girls Stumble Against Serra Catholic

 

       Another week in the books and both the boys’ and girls’ teams continue to climb the Section 3 ladder with respective victories over the Indians of North Hills High School. The girls, however, would not make it through the week unscathed.

       This past week began with a 44-37 victory on Monday for the girls against the Lady Indians. Despite a mild rally by North Hills in the third quarter, Butler was able to hold on for the win. The Lady Tornado was led by Amy Achesinski with 22 points and Danielle Koehring with 10.

       Tuesday’s visit to North Hills for the boys proved to be just as profitable as the girls the night before with a 64-45 victory. Butler started out with a 12-0 lead, not allowing the Indians to score until the 4:24 mark in the first period. North Hills didn’t quit though, tying the game at 29 heading into the half. Butler took a six-point lead at the end of the third quarter only to outscore North Hills 23-10 in the fourth. Butler was led by Tyrell Sales with 23 points, Jarrod Markle with 13 and Bobby Freshwater with 12. Markle and Freshwater each had 3 treys in the win.

       The third day of the three-game stretch saw the girls drop to single-A powerhouse Serra Catholic 65-56. The Lady Eagles dominated the blue ‘n gold for the majority of the game until the fourth quarter when Butler rallied to cut a 14-point deficit to 5. Serra Catholic proved to be to be too much in the end, pulling away with the win. Kelly Miller led Butler with 17 points, and Danielle Koehring and Amy Achesinski had 10 apiece. Heather Spangler and Maria Klutinoty each contributed two treys in the effort. Serra Catholic’s leading scorer, Laura Grimm (20) had 5 three-pointers.

       Stat of the Week—Serra Catholic is ranked #1 in the state of Pennsylvania among single-A schools.

       Upcoming Games: Girls host Seneca Valley (12/22/03); Boys host Seneca Valley (12/23/03); Butler Girls Holiday Tournament (12/26/03, 12/27/03); Blackhawk Boys Holiday Tournament (12/26/03, 12/27/03, and 12/29/03).

       **Along with a report on the two SV games, next week’s Christmas Edition of the “Wags’ Weekly Write-Up” will include a look back on the first half of the season and my view for the future of the 2003-04 campaign.