Holiday Tournaments, 1,000 Point Scorers, and More

Happy 2004 to all of my faithful readers out there! The Butler Golden Tornado hoopsters were at it again this past week, this time in two pressure packed Holiday Tournaments, one in Butler and the other in Blackhawk. Now someone from the boys’ squad hit the 1,000 career-point mark this past Monday, but let’s start with the girls.

The Lady Tornado’s home-court tournament didn’t go as well as they may have liked. Last Friday the girls dropped an opening round game to Carlynton 65-55. Carlynton led Butler 29-19 at the half and the blue ‘n gold just couldn’t get back on track. Amy Achesinski led Butler with 17 points. Heather Spangler added 11, Danielle Koehring had 9, and Maria Klutinoty had 8 points including two three-pointers. The second day of action saw a better result for the girls—a 57-46 consolation game victory over Blackhawk. Butler played much better on this night, led by Kelly Miller with 14 points and Amy Achesinski with 13. Miller was the lone Tornado named to the All-Tournament Team. Fox Chapel won the tournament with 63-57 and 47-36 victories over Blackhawk and Carlynton, respectfully. With their father Bill Cowher in the stands on Friday and in their minds on Saturday, sisters Meagan and Lauren dominated both games (see “Stat of the Week” for some amazing numbers) with Meagan claiming the M.V.P. award.

Now on to the boys’ side. Last Friday Butler defeated Beaver Falls 73-69 in overtime but lost last Saturday to Connellsville (the eventual tournament champion) 70-45. Monday night, despite a feverish comeback effort, Butler lost to Ellwood City 76-71. Tyrell Sales led in scoring for the Tornado on all three nights: 30, 19 and 33. The biggest single point of the tournament came with 1:14 remaining in the first quarter when Sales connected on a shot. The game came to an abrupt halt while the Blackhawk Tournament staff honored Sales at mid-court presenting him with the game ball. As coach Joe Lewandowski could be heard following the standing ovation, “First class!” It certainly was. The boys finished in fifth place in Blackhawk but showed signs of a possible playoff team with their grit and determination.

Stat(s) of the Week—1) The sisters Cowher, Meagan and Lauren, scored 90 of Fox Chapel’s 110 points in the Butler Tournament; 2) Tyrell Sales has reached the 1,000 point plateau and fifth all-time on the Butler Boys’ Scoring List, with a realistic chance of climbing as high as number two by the end of the season.

Upcoming Games: Boys host Plum (1/3/04); Girls at Pine-Richland (1/5/04); Boys at Pine-Richland (1/6/04); Girls and Boys host New Castle (1/9/04); Boys at Cleveland St. Ignatius (1/10/04).

Now on to the “more.” I just wanted to let everyone know that the last edition of Wags’ Weekly Write-Up (before I return to college) will be here hopefully by next Thursday. Also, I have discovered something this past week. Something that I’ve never come in contact with before. That thing is the yearning of a parent for their child to be the best at what they do. Sometimes a parent might go overboard in the heat of the moment, but in the case that I witnessed, that only meant they care deeply for their child and want as much for their child as possible. I commend that and deeply appreciate the passion shown by Butler parents. Now only if the rest of the crowd could be as passionate as the parents.

Wag’s