Fans packed Butler’s gym to the brim Tuesday night to watch star point guard Ethan Morton and the Golden Tornado take on section rival Pine-Richland in a marquee matchup of top-five teams in Class 6A.
Some big games just don’t live up to the hype. This one exceeded it — and then some.
Morton, a Purdue recruit who missed a pair of games during Butler’s three-game losing streak over the holidays with a high-ankle sprain, started off slow with only five points on 1-of-7 shooting in the first half. By the end of the game, fans serenaded him with chants of “M-V-P” as he carried the No. 2 Golden Tornado (8-4, 3-0) on his back to a thrilling 88-84 overtime victory against the Rams (8-3, 2-1) in an instant classic.
“Obviously you don’t want to give up 84 in a game, but a win’s a win, and we got stops when we needed to,” Morton said. “The grit that we showed to force overtime, I think it just shows how far our guys have come.
“I’m so proud of those guys in that locker room. It’s a special feeling.”
Morton finished the game with 33 points, 23 rebounds and 12 assists while converting 17 of 18 free throw attempts to help seal the win. He scored 15 in the fourth quarter and six more in overtime while also soaring for the game-clinching rebound in the final seconds.
Sophomore Devin Carney added 24 points for Butler, including the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime, and junior Mattix Clement chipped in 18 for the Golden Tornado. Meanwhile, senior guard Logan Murray led the way for Pine-Richland with 23 points and fellow senior Kyle Polce added 19 for the Rams.
“The one thing always to remember is Ethan’s point total is not important to him,” Butler coach Matt Clement said. “He isn’t going to do it by himself, and he knows that.”
Early on, it looked like Morton would take a backseat to Carney and Clement, as the star senior’s shots just couldn’t find the bottom of the net. Clement hit a pair of 3s to give the Golden Tornado an early 15-7 lead, and Carney hit a 3-pointer to make it 30-21 with 5:30 left in the first half. But Pine-Richland closed the half on a 12-1 run and took a 39-38 lead into the break.
Morton appeared ready to take the game over in the third quarter, starting a key run for Butler with a pin block against the glass followed by a coast-to-coast and-one layup. He then hit Clement with a perfect pass in transition to take a 50-43 lead, but the Rams would not go away quietly.
Pine-Richland went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 50, and the Rams took a 62-59 lead into the fourth quarter. Pine-Richland went up by five on a 3-pointer by senior forward Levi Wentz with 4:45 left, but that’s when Morton really took things over.
First, Morton cut the Rams’ lead to 73-71 with a tough finger-roll layup in traffic before tying the game with a pair of free throws. On the Golden Tornado’s next trip down the court, he made another tough and-one layup to give Butler a 76-73 lead.
Senior forward Patrick Shanahan tied the game for Pine-Richland with a layup while getting fouled with 1:35 left, but he missed the ensuing free throw and neither team scored again in regulation. Then, with the game tied in overtime, Carney hit one last 3-pointer to break open the tie, and Morton’s clutch foul shooting put the icing on a huge home win for the Golden Tornado.
“Every time we play these guys — we have so much respect for them,” Morton said. “They’re so well-coached, always have great players. ... It wouldn’t be a rivalry if it’s not two great teams.
“Coach [Clement] said in the locker room, these are the type of games, win or lose — obviously it’s better when you win — you’re going to remember them for the rest of your life.”
Steve Rotstein: srotstein@post-gazette.com and Twitter @SteveRotstein.
First Published: January 8, 2020, 3:23 a.m.
