Butler's Morton strikes for 48
Tornado junior breaks
school's single-game record in win
December 17, 2018 High School Basketball
Ethan
Morton 48-point performance Saturday set Butler single-game record
NEW CASTLE — Ethan Morton felt more like
sleeping than talking.
But his performance was worth chatting
about.
Butler's junior guard scored a school-record
48 points Saturday night, adding 12 rebounds, seven assists and seven steals in
the Golden Tornado's 80-69 boys basketball win over Canfield (Ohio) as part of
“The Clash” hoop showcase at New Castle High School.
Morton sank 12 field goals and canned 24 of
28 free throws. He hit 15 of 17 from the foul line in the fourth quarter alone.
“It was just the way the game was going,”
Butler coach Matt Clement said. “The game was close and we want the ball in
Ethan's hands in those situations.
“He kept going to the hoop and getting
fouled ... and he doesn't miss many free throws.”
Morton snapped the Tornado single-game mark
of 47 points, set by Shawn Bellis in a 1993 game against Freeport. Morton's 48
points also set a New Castle Fieldhouse record, surpassing the previous mark of
44.
Morton scored 32 points in Butler's home win
over McDowell Friday night. Both games were physical.
“I'm feeling pretty worn out,” Morton
admitted. “We knew this would be a tough one and as a team, we challenged each
other to gut it out.”
Butler (5-0) built a 41-29 lead with 1:10
left in the first half. But with 1:14 left in the third period, Canfield (2-3)
grabbed a 54-52 lead. A Morton jumper sent the teams into the final quarter
tied at 54.
“I could see our legs starting to go in the
third quarter when they made the run at us,” Clement said. “I sat Mattix
(Clement) and Luke (Patten) to give them some time, but I had to leave Ethan
out there.”
Morton scored 21 of his team's 26 points in
the final period. He did not sink a 3-point field goal in the game.
“We kind of expected something like this
coming in here,” Canfield coach Todd Muckleroy said. “We were excited to go up
against one of the top Division I recruits in the country.
“We also knew he'd be tough to defend. We
were physical and tried to deny him the ball, fronting him in the backcourt,
and boxing him in, but he's so tall and athletic. He just reaches up high and
pulls the ball in.”
The game was tied on seven occasions, the
last at 65 with 4:46 remaining. Morton completed a three-point play to pull
Butler into that tie.
A Morton layup and nine of his free throws
gave the Tornado a 76-67 edge with 1:09 to play, salting away the win.
“Nothing he does surprises any of us,”
Patten said. “Ethan gets everybody involved in the game, but sometimes he gets
the bug and just goes.”
Patten had 11 points, three assists and
three steals for Butler and Mattix Clement drained three treys.
But this night was all about No. 25.
“I probably kept my head down too much
tonight, didn't look around,” Morton said. “But I felt like our best chance to
win was to take it to the basket and force their (Canfield's) hand.
“I respect getting the record because Shawn
Bellis was such a great player. I never saw him play, of course, but I have
seen Nate Snodgrass, Bobby (Swartwout) and others ... They were all great and
that makes this record meaningful to me.”
Bellis himself referred to Morton as “the
total package” Sunday when talking about his 25-year-old record falling.
“He does everything. He's an amazing
player,” Bellis said. “If he wasn't so unselfish, he could probably do what he
did in a lot of other games.”
Morton struggled to keep his eyes open and
his voice was hoarse as he spoke. But he managed a smile at the same time.
“Our team got the win. That's what this is
about,” he said.
The Cardinals, an Ohio Division II team and
the equivalent of a 5A school in Pennsylvania, placed four players in double
figures. Conor Crogan had 18 points, five assists and four steals to lead
Canfield.
Joe Bruno scored 13 points, Kyle Gamble 12
and Aydin Hanousek came off the bench to produce 11 points and six rebounds.
Hanousek is 6-foot-6, Gamble 6-5 and Bruno 6-4.
“They were big ... and our zone wasn't as
quick as it was last (Friday) night,” Clement said.
But Morton played bigger.
“He's a physically gifted player, but his
mind is his biggest asset,” Muckleroy said of Morton. “He is such a smart
player. He knows what he's doing out there.
“We gave everything we had, threw everything
at him ... We couldn't stop him.”
CANFIELD 69
Aydin Hanousek 4-17 2-2 11, Brent Herrmann
1-1 0-0 2, Brayden Beck 0-0 2-2 2, Jake Kowal 0-1 2-2 2, Joe Bruno 6-10 0-0 13,
Conor Crogan 7-9 1-2 18, Brenden Bova 3-4 0-1 6, Kyle Gamble 5-11 2-2 12, Luke
Pallante 1-1 1-2 3, Trey Dye 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 27-54 10-16 69.
BUTLER 80
Devin Carney 2-7 0-0 4, Mattix Clement 3-7
0-0 9, Dom McCowan 1-1 0-0 2, Luke Patten 4-6 1-1 11, Charles Kreinbucher 0-1
2-2 2, Mason Montag 1-2 0-0 2, Ethan Morton 12-19 24-28 48, Colby Anderson 0-1
0-0 0, Isiah Scribner 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 24-45 27-32 80.
Canfield 17 16 21 15 — 69
Butler20 21 13 26 — 80
3-point goals: Hanousek, Bruno, Crogan 3;
Clement 3, Patten 2