North Hills Makes Mark In Blowout of Butler

An early season Class 6A divisional matchup between North Hills and Butler had all the makings of an instant classic.

The first half delivered the goods. The second half was a statement.

The opening quarter was a track meet from the tip. Elon bound Butler guard Devin Carney got the Tornadoes going early with 5 points in the first, as Butler led a tight one, 15-13.

The seesaw battle continued through halftime, as North Hills held a slim 31-27 advantage at the break. Carney led all scorers with 12 points at the break.

While Carney came out firing with the first 5 points of the third for Butler, North Hills guard Alex Smith, who himself had a fine outing, matched the Butler senior shot for shot.

The turning point came early in the third. A non-call on the Butler offensive end sparked a 22-2 North Hills run in the second half of the quarter and effectively put the contest out of reach.

While Butler was able to cut the deficit in half in the fourth quarter, North Hills, who came in averaging 80+ points per game, stepped on the gas and sealed the victory, with another 80+ point outing, 82-62.

Alex Smith led North Hills with 24, and the Indians also had big nights from super sophomore Royce Parham(19 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks) and senior guards Matt Seidl(24 points) and Will Blass(10 points). Carney led all scorers in defeat with an impressive 31 point showing and his teammate Madden Clement added 18 for Butler.

The victory puts North Hills in the drivers seat to be not only the 3RB 6A #1 team when our first poll comes out this week, but also the #1 overall team in our power ranking, depending on how the week shakes out.