Stepping up
Eyth keys Butler
Christmas Tournament win with 22 points, 11 rebounds vs. Allderdice
December 28, 2017 High School Basketball
Butler's
Jenna Kunst drives the ball on Allderdice defender Mackenzie Thompson during
the Golden Tornado's 52-44 victory in the first round of the Butler Christmas
Tournament.
STEVEN DALTON/ SPECIAL TO THE EAGLE
BUTLER TWP Butler was able to create
separation due to simple execution.
The Golden Tornado girls basketball team
shot just 31 percent (9-of-29) from the floor in the first half, which ended in
a 25-25 stalemate with Allderdice.
Butler was much more efficient in the final
two quarters, making 47 percent (9-of-19) of its attempts in a 52-44 victory in
the first night of the Butler Christmas Tournament.
We were getting all of the shots we wanted
in the first half, but we weren't making them, said first-year Butler coach
Mark Maier. We had two days off because of Christmas and maybe we were a bit
rusty. We got in a groove, though, in the second half.
The result will lead to an all-Butler County
final as Butler will face Knoch, a 49-41 winner over Indiana, in the
championship game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Senior forward Alyssa Eyth was the catalyst
for Butler. With teammate and fellow frontcourt standout Jenna Kunst on the
bench with foul trouble for much of the game, Eyth stepped to the fore.
With Allderdice holding several slim leads
between two and five points in the second quarter, Eyth was a major reason the
Tornado were able to pull even by halftime, scoring 14 points in the second
quarter alone.
I love stepping up, said Eyth. As a team,
we all have to step up when a key player is out, but I love stepping into that
role.
Eyth finished the game with a double-double
of 22 points, 11 rebounds and added six steals.
I told Jenna not to pick up any cheap
fouls, we need her out on the floor playing, Maier said. But it was nice to
see Alyssa put the team on her shoulders with both her rebounding and scoring.
She's a tough and hard-nosed player who is tough to guard.
Butler opened the second half with an 8-0
run, with 3-pointers from Nicole Pepmeyer and Emilee Altman sandwiched around a
bucket from Kunst, who had re-entered the game.
When Eyth drained a pair of free throws with
two minutes remaining in the third period, Butler had tied its largest lead of
the game at 40-30. The Dragons, however, closed the period with a modest 5-0
run, including a conventional 3-point play from Emma Waite, and trailed just
40-35 with eight minutes to play.
But a second 8-0 run from Butler pushed its
edge to 48-35. The spurt included treys from Jordan Kauffman and Kunst and a
basket inside from Eyth.
Outside shooting helped keep the Dragons
(2-5) ahead for much of the first half as the team connected on five 3-pointers
in the first two periods. For the game, Allderdice was 8-of-13 from beyond the
arc. Waite and Sophia North both made three.
They play a lot of sophomores, but they're
a pretty good team, Maier said.
Kunst added 13 points and five rebounds in
her limited time on the floor.
Butler (4-3) will attempt to win its fourth
straight game, and grab the title at its own tournament, against Knoch
Thursday.
We got off to a rough start (1-3), but
we're starting to mesh, Eyth said. We're starting to get a feel for each
other's roles and abilities.
Allderdice coach Ellen Gilliard was
unavailable for comment.
ALLDERDICE 44
Markaya Killer 2 0-0 6, Emma Waite 7 1-1 18,
Sophia North 4 0-0 11, Brooklyn Jones 2 0-0 4, Keira Coleman 1 2-3 4, Nautica
Burwell 0 1-2 1, Mackenzie Thompson 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 4-6 44.
BUTLER 52
Nicole Pepmeyer 1 0-0 3, Alyssa Eyth 7 8-10
22, Jordan Kauffman 2 0-0 5, Jenna Kunst 5 2-3 13, Julia Gibson 1 1-2 3, Emilee
Altman 2 0-0 6, Mia Rader 0 0-2 0, Emma Monteleone 0 0-0 0, Sydney Hanratty 0
0-0 0, Morgan Gage 0 0-0 0, Heidi Gross 0 0-0 0. Totals: 18 11-17 52.
Allderdice 11 14 10 9 44
Butler10 15 15 12 52
3-point goals: Allderdice 8 (Waite 3, North
3, Killer 2); Butler 5 (E. Altman 2, Kunst, Kauffman, Pepmeyer).