The power of 3
Butler uses treys to earn section win over Vikings

http://www.butlereagle.com/graphics/nothing.gifBy John Enrietto 
Eagle Sports Editor 

PITTSBURGH — Fittingly, Butler took the lead for good on a 3-point field goal. The trey seemed to be its answer to any potential problem Friday night as the Golden Tornado posted a 65-53 Section 1-6A boys basketball victory over Central Catholic at Alumni Hall. “We wanted to take away (post player) Tyler Frederick tonight and we did a good job of that,” Central coach Chuck Crummie said. “But you pay a price when you do that. “We left the perimeter open and they made us pay for it. Butler is very good. And those two close section losses early (at North Hills and Pine-Richland) have toughened them mentally.” After a pair of buckets by the Vikings knotted the game at 9, Ian McCarrier drained a trey to give the Tornado (9-4, 3-2) a 12-9 lead with 1:32 left in the first quarter. Butler kept the lead the rest of the night. Trailing 32-19 at halftime, Central (6-6, 2-4) started the third quarter with a Rodney Thomas trey. Joel Stutz responded with consecutive 3-point goals for Butler. A three-point play by Justin Tarrant opened the fourth quarter for the Vikings and pulled them within 48-38. After Connor Ollio hit a free throw, Stutz buried another trey. The Vikings were out of answers. Butler used a 9-2 run to build its biggest lead at 57-40 with 5:27 to play. “We put in a lot of practice time on shooting,” Butler coach Matt Clement said. “We know we have guys who can hit those shots.” Stutz drained five of Butler’s 10 treys on this night. He paced the Tornado with 19 points. Luke Michalek and McCarrier attempted two shots each the entire night. Those shots resulted in four treys. Jason Gray added a 3-pointer to the cause. “Joel has been hot for us for about the past month,” Clement said. “We still try to work the ball inside because once we get it in there, everything opens up for us. “Tyler and Connor (Ollio) have developed into excellent passers from in there.” Frederick was limited to five points and six rebounds. Besides Stutz, Ethan Morton was the only other Butler player in double figures with 10 points, six assists and four steals. Morton hit all eight of his free throw attempts in the fourth quarter — six in the final 1:14 — to seal the win. “Ethan controlled the tempo of this game for us tonight,” Clement said. “Late in the game, we want the ball in his hands.” During the game, Butler can put the ball in anybody’s hands. “We have so many guys who can hit from outside. We have confidence in everv single one of them,” Joel Stutz said. “The open guy takes the shot.” Twin brother Jace Stutz agreed. “That’s why we always make the extra pass,” he said. “We work on that all the time. We want the best shot.” Joel Stutz had three steals to go with his gamehigh 19 points. Luke Nedrow paced Central Catholic with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. Steve Votodian had 12 points for the Vikings. Butler enjoyed a 26-17 advantage in rebounding. “We could never get on any kind of a run tonight,” Crummie said. “Butler always answered with a three. They shot the ball very well tonight. “Not putting runs together has been our M.O. so far this year, though. We hit a three, then we stop playing.” The Tornado have reeled off three straight victories and host Seneca Valley Tuesday night.
 
BUTLER 65 Luke Michalek 2-2 0-0 6, Jace Stutz 2-3 1-1 5, Ian McCarrier 2-2 0-0 6, Jason Gray 2-4 0-0 5, Tyler Frederick 1-5 3-4 5, Connor Ollio 4-8 1-2 9, Ethan Morton 1-6 8-8 10, Joel Stutz 7-10 0-0 19. Totals: 21-40 13-16 65. CENTRAL CATHOLIC 53 Rodney Thomas 2-6 1-2 6, Steve Votodian 3-7 6-8 12, Luke Nedrow 7-14 0-0 14, Justin Tarrant 3-4 3-3 9, Pat Marchione 0-1 0-0 0, Brandon Boyce 2-4 0-0 4, Andrew Walker 1-1 0-0 3, Will Sproule 1-1 0-0 2, Tommy Farkos 0-0 1-2 1, Maurice Shipman 1-1 0-0 2, D.J. Snyder 0-0 0-0 0, Cole Mason 0-0 0-0 0, Gavin thomson 0-2 0-0 0, Carlan Gray 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 20-42 11-15 53. Butler 15 17 16 17 — 65 Central Catholic11 8 16 18 — 53 3-point goals: Michalek 2, McCarrier 2, Gray, Jo. Stutz 5; R.Thomas, Walker JV: Central Catholic, 65-51 (B: Tarick Taoufik 20, Doug Kostelansky 10; CC: Cole Mason 13)