Quick Start
Butler gets out of the
gate fast again in blowout victory over Plum
December 11, 2019 High School Basketball
Butler's
Devin Cerney gets around Plum's Luke Pupilli at Butler High School.
STEVEN DALTON PHOTO
BUTLER TWP — Quick starts equal early
victories.
Butler has made that equation work three
times in three games so far this season, cruising to a 73-45 boys basketball
win over Plum Tuesday night in the Golden Tornado gym.
The Tornado (3-0) had a 13-2 lead five
minutes into the contest. A 15-0 run turned a 17-8 lead into a 34-8 advantage
late in the first half, effectively ending the competitive portion of the game.
“This is the way we should start every
game,” sophomore guard Devin Carney said. “Ethan (Morton) finds us right away,
we hit a couple of shots and things just start rolling.”
Morton, Butler's senior point guard, had
seven assists Tuesday night before he scored a point. He tallied 15 points, 10
rebounds, 10 assists and six steals in less than three quarters of floor time.
“Ethan is so efficient with everything he's
doing right now,” Butler coach Matt Clement said. “He's not forcing many shots
at all.
“He trusts the other guys on the floor with
him more than ever, maybe because they're another year older.”
Morton wasn't the only Tornado player making
quality passes. Carney had three assists to go with his game-high 21 points.
Raine Gratzmiller and Mattix Clement had a pair of assists as well.
“We were able to get some of our guys a lot
of minutes handling the ball against a press tonight,” Clement said. “That will
come in handy down the road because we're going to need that.”
Plum coach Mark Marino watched film of the
Butler Tip-Off Tournament, an event in which the Tornado drained 25 treys.
“Our plan tonight was to force Devin and
Mattix off the 3-point line,” Marino said. “Either make them shoot contested
three's or make them dribble the ball out.
“I thought we did a good job limiting their
three's, but Ethan is so good with his outlet passes off defensive rebounds.
They beat us down the floor in transition too many times.”
Charlie Kreinbucher scored 12 points for
Butler, hitting all six of his field goal attempts while being on the receiving
end of a few Morton assists.
Carney found Kreinbucher for a lay-up as
well.
“Devin made some outstanding passes
tonight,” Clement said.
“I'm a shooting guard, but when Ethan's not
in there, I'm handling the ball a lot more,” Carney said. “It's part of the
game I feel like I'm getting better at.”
Carney has scored more than 20 points in
each of Butler's first three games.
The Tornado had a 21-8 edge in rebounds
during the first half. Butler's lead peaked at 36 — 61-25 — on a Morton dunk
with 14 seconds left in the third quarter.
Carney and Kreinbucher had dunks on the
night as well.
“We were too soft going to the rim tonight
and our kids didn't play at the speed of the game,” Marino said. “We seemed
reluctant that way.
“We had 16 to 18 turnovers, too, and when
you're playing probably the best all-around team in the WPIAL, you can't afford
to give them extra chances.”
Nick Klinger paced the Mustangs (0-3) with
11 points.
Butler will take on Caton McKinley, a
traditional Ohio power, at 7 p.m. Saturday as part of a basketball showcase at
Struthers High School.
“They have a Division I player on their team
and a lot of talent,” Clment said. “This will be our toughest test of the
season.”
PLUM 45
Luke Pupilli 0-3 0-4 0, Connor Moss 2-10 4-5
8, Alex Mitlo 1-2 0-0 2, Nick Flinko 2-5 5-6 9, Tyler Kolankowski 2-6 1-2 5,
T'Rassi Means 4-6 0-1 8, Will Brewer 0-1 0-0 0, Etyan Hunter-Williams 0-2 0-0
0, Max Matolosy 1-6 0-1 2, Nick Klinger 4-9 3-4 11. Totals: 16-48 13-24 45.
BUTLER 73
Raine Gratzmiller 2-4 0-0 5, Brayden Koegler
1-2 0-0 2, Zach Slomers 0-1 0-0 0, Devin Carney 6-7 6-10 21, Mattix Clement 2-9
1-1 6, Dom McCowan 2-2 1-1 5, Charlie Kreinbucher 6-6 0-0 12, Mason Montag 0-3
0-0 0, Ethan Morton 6-13 2-2 15, David Leslie 1-3 0-0 2, Madden Clement 1-5 0-0
3, Dylan Fediaczko 0-0 0-0 0, Austin Rodgers 1-1 0-0 2, Dylan Piroch 0-0 0-0 0,
Logan Koegler 0-1 0-0 0, Jordan Stutz 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 28-58 10-15 73.
Plum 8 5 14 18 — 45
Butler19 23 19 12 — 73
3-point goals: Gratzmiller, Carney 3,
Mat.Clement, Morton, Mad.Clement
JV: Butler, 47-35 (P: Christian Brown 13; B:
Madden Clement 12, Kaleb Proudfoot 10)