Accessorizing Amy
Barry's 15 points give Butler girls 2nd threat in 48-35 basketball triumph over Knoch

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By Sam Tallarico
Eagle Staff Writer

BUTLER TWP — For the Butler girls basketball team to be a consistent threat, it knows defense will always be the key.
So is having another scorer other than Amy Achesinski.
Against Knoch on Thursday, Rachel Barry stepped to the forefront again.
Barry, who had 15 points in the season-opening win against Ambridge, had 15 points against the Knights, including 14 in the first half as Butler posted a 48-35 victory.
Achesinski used a 13-point second half — 17 points in all — to key the offensive output. In Monday's loss to Bethel Park, Maria Baroffio had 19 points to go with Achesinski's 23 points.
"Everyone tries to concentrate on Amy, but Rachel can hit shots," said Butler coach Dorothea Epps. "She came out on fire. She had the hot hand so we would feed her the ball.
"We got some open shots and got them in. We know what happens with Amy, so it's important to hit those shots,"Epps added.
"Obviously, Amy is a great player and we held her to four points in the first half," said Knoch coach Curt Vasas. "That's because of Sarah Cooper and Sara Montgomery and some weak side help.
"At the half, we said, 'oops, we better keep a handle on Barry. We didn't adjust. We just re-focused,"Vasas added.
Knoch (2-1) had tied the game at 24 when Lizz King nailed a 3-pointer just 10 seconds into the third quarter.
"In the first half, we came out okay, but we let them hang around," said Epps, whose squad held a 24-21 lead. "We let them set the tempo. We tried to mix up the defense. We tried to get them out of their comfort zone."
Achesinski sank three consecutive baskets to open up a 30-24 Tornado lead, which expanded to 36-28 entering the fourth quarter.
"That's why she's the player she is," said Vasas. "We got good position on her down low and she still can score. She knows how to get open and knows how to finish. She earned all those points."
When King buried another 3-pointer after rebounding a missed free throw by Megan Gray, Knoch trailed by five points, 36-31, with 7:19 remaining.
The Tornado (3-1), however, reeled off nine consecutive points to take a 45-31 advantage with 3:14 left to seal the win.
"You look at Butler and who can you stop?," said Vasas. "They can have someone different step up on any given night."
King led the Knights with nine points (three 3-pointers). The squad had eight different players reach the scoring column.
"Really, up until the end, we had a shot. I was very happy how we handled their defensive pressure. they were in our face,"Vasas said.
"It was a non-section game, and trust me, I want to win all of those, too, but we want to face good, tough opponents. Then when we face pressure defenses, we want to be ready and if we don't face them, we'll be that much better," he added.
Epps came away impressed with the Knights' competitiveness.
"Our goal is to keep teams under 40 points," said Epps. "That's a nice team and they'll make some noise in Triple A."

KNOCH35
Megan Gray 2 2-4 6, Abby Marshall 2 0-0 5, Pam Gagen 1 0-0 2, Sarah Cooper 2 1-1 5, Lizz King 3 0-0 9, Leanne Wiefling 2 0-0 4, Ashley MacArthur 0 2-2 2, Sara Montgomery 0 0-0 0, Haley Hutterer 1 0-0 2. Totals: 13 5-7 35.
BUTLER48
Rachel Barry 7 1-2 15, Olivia Bresnahan 2 1-2 5, Elizabeth Schultz 0 0-0 0, Amy Achesinski 7 3-5 17, Maria Baroffio 2 4-6 9, Mackenzie Greenert 1 0-1 2, Karissa King 0 0-0 0, Katherine Sylvia 0 0-0 0, Erica Miller 0 0-0 0, Ashley Onufrak 0 0-0 0, Kayla Gilliland 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 9-16 48.

Knoch 13 8 7 7—35
Butler 12 12 12 12—48
3-point goals: King 3, Marshall; Baroffio
JV: Butler, 48-13 (B:Jenna Manuel 12, Rachel Doutt 11)