Bulldogs

When last America saw them, the Butler Bulldogs had finished their season a half-court fling away from a national title. On Thursday, the first step of Butler's attempt to return to national celebrity encountered a formidable Old Dominion team that, like the Bulldogs, had won nine games in a row. This time, the Bulldogs got the buzzer-beater they had been denied in last season's championship game. Senior Forward Matt Howard's putback in the final second pushed Butler past Old Dominion, 60-58, as the Bulldogs beat the Monarchs at their own game ? rebounding ? when it mattered most.

Two dogs that attacked a 7-year-old girl in Dundalk over the weekend have been euthanized, according to a Baltimore County Department of Health spokeswoman. The American bulldogs were put down Monday at the request of their owner, said the spokeswoman, Monique Lyle. The girl had been riding her bike in the 700 block of Villager Circle when the dogs escaped their yard and attacked her, said Lt. Robert McCullough, a Baltimore County police spokesman. The girl remains in serious condition and will need several surgeries to recover from her injuries, he said.

A 7-year-old girl was bitten in the throat by two American bulldogs inside a Dundalk home Saturday, Baltimore County police said. Officers were called at about 5:45 p.m. to a home in the 700 block of Villager Circle where the girl was found bleeding. She was taken to a local hospital, where she remains in serious condition, police said. jkanderson@baltsun.com Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts An earlier version of this article misidentified the breed of dog in the attack.

After the NCAA championship game last season, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski suggested that Butler should be considered a 2011 contender. The perception of the Bulldogs went from favorites to unfortunates after they started the season 4-4 and suffered through a rough winter slump in Horizon League play. Of course, coach Brad Stevens cares as much about perception as Blue the bulldog mascot cares about his appearance. Stevens employs a straightforward strategy to deal with this.

Hammond had to wait 25 years between playoff games. It won't have to wait nearly as long for the next one. After defeating visiting Southern of Anne Arundel, 26-21, on Friday night on a last-second touchdown run by sophomore Dionte Jones, the Golden Bears (10-1) will visit top seed McDonough (10-1) on Friday for the Class 2A South regional championship. Friday's win was the first playoff victory in school history for Hammond, which clinched a share of its first county title last week.

Southern took everything No. 1 Arundel threw at it Friday, intercepting four passes on its way to a 30-19 victory and one of the biggest upsets of the season. Andrew Harris had two interceptions for the Bulldogs, returning one for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to seal the win over the Wildcats (9-1). Arundel had averaged more than 40 points entering the contest. Davonte Burke rushed for 168 yards and scored touchdowns from 77 and 30 yards, part of a Bulldogs running game that gained 348 yards and dashed for three touchdowns against a Wildcats defense that had held opponents to less than 14 points per game.

Former Bowie State running back Isaac Redman has made the Pittsburgh Steelers' 53-man roster. Redman, who rushed 28 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns in three preseason games, is listed third on the Steelers' depth chart at running back. He was on Pittsburgh's practice squad last season after playing for Bowie State from 2005 to 2008. He ended his college career as the Bulldogs' all-time leading rusher with 2,762 yards. He also holds school records for single-season rushing yards (1,512 in 2005)

Bowie State (0-1) at Morgan State (0-0)     Time: : 6 p.m.     Radio: : 88.9 FM     Series record: : Series tied at 4-4-1     Last meeting: : Morgan State won, 28-20, on Sept. 16, 2006     What's at stake: : Morgan State hasn't won its opener since 2007 and is just 3-5 under head coach Donald Hill-Eley in the first game of the season. The Bears have 13 freshmen on their two-deep right now, while Bowie State returns eight starters on offense and nine on defense.

Murray State got awfully close to a second straight bracket-busting upset before Butler reminded the Racers which small school almost always plays big in March. Ronald Nored's three-point play snapped a tie with 25.4 seconds left, and Butler narrowly evaded a second stunner by the 13th-seeded Racers in three days, advancing to the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament with a 54-52 victory Saturday in San Jose, Calif. Nored scored 15 points and Gordon Hayward had 12 before making the decisive defensive play for the fifth-seeded Bulldogs (30-4)

No. 5 Arundel started quickly against the visiting Bulldogs on Friday night and had little trouble the rest of the game, pulling away for a 78-47 victory. The Wildcats (12-2) sealed the win with consistent foul shooting down the stretch. Sheronne Vails led the Wildcats with 16 points, and Briana McKellery added 15. Southern fell to 0-10. No. 8 Meade 66, Old Mill 44:: Nicole Dixon led the way with 17 points as the Mustangs (15-0) downed the visiting Patriots (9-6)