ROSS TWP — Ethan Morton's road to 2,000 points culminated with a steal and layup with one second left in the first half Friday night at North Hills.

It actually began years ago.

“I remember when he was in second or third grade, running around the court before our games during my first year as coach,” Butler coach Matt Clement said.

“That was the time we had Nate Snodgrass, Bobby Swartwout ... Ethan loved those guys. He wanted to be like them.”

Now little kids in Butler want to be the next Ethan Morton.

“I hear it all the time,” Clement said. “They want to grow up and break his records. They want to do what he's doing.

“For someone to be held in such high regard by youths in his hometown — while he's still in high school — is something pretty special.”

Morton admitted to a few extra butterflies prior to Friday's game.

“I feel them before every game, but when you're on the verge of doing something special ... yeah, I felt it,” he said.

Morton became the second boys basketball player in Butler County history to reach 2,000 points — joining 2018 Mars graduate Robby Carmody. Jence Rhoads of Slippery Rock, Sam Breen at North Catholic and Brenna Wise at Vincentian are girls who have done so as county residents or at a county high school.

Fewer than 30 WPIAL boys basketball players have eclipsed that figure.

Rare air, indeed.

“I wanted to get it done before the half,” Morton said. “No. 1, we were losing and we had to start making some things happen.”

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Morton has been making things happen on the court for years now.

“Ethan started dribbling a basketball around when he was 4 and was in an organized league at the Butler Y when he was 6,” his father, Ryan Morton, said. “He's been working on his ballhandling skills ever since and it's paid off for him.

“Still, 2,000 points ... You never expect something like that. No. 1, you have to be lucky. You have to stay healthy throughout high school. You have to play a lot as a freshman. At (Class) 6A, it's hard to get on the floor that much your freshman year. You have to have the right coaching staff, great teammates, Ethan's had all of those things.”

And he didn't take long to figure out basketball was his sport of choice.

Ethan played quarterback for Center Township in the Butler Area Midget Football League. He was a pitcher-infielder in baseball.

“During the summer after seventh grade, I remember Ethan hoping his baseball game would be rained out so he didn't have to miss his summer basketball game,” his father said. “That's when he began to commit totally to one sport.”

Ryan Morton can appreciate his son's achievement. He scored 1,092 points at Moniteau, averaging 21.8 points per game in 1992-93, his senior year.

Ryan Morton was coached by his father and Ethan's grandfather, Tom Morton.

“I remember Ryan's senior year. He made the Butler Eagle's basketball all-star team along with Matt Clement and Shawn Bellis (whose Butler scoring record Ethan broke),” Tom Morton said. “And I was the Eagle's Coach of the Year that season.

“Now I look at what Ethan's done and it's fantastic. He's always been a good kid, a smart kid, loyal to his community and every teammate he's ever played with.”

Clement will second that.

“Ethan's freshman year, when he played with all those seniors, those guys still come to our games today,” Clement said. “Ethan means that much to them. They're a part of what he's done and continues to do.”

Morton has pieced together triple-doubles at Central Catholic and North Allegheny, had a 23-rebound performance in an overtime win over Pine-Richland, scored 51 points in a loss at Pine-Richland.

“The games he's had against the level of competition we've played is just amazing,” Clement said.

Tom Morton described Ethan as “a very, very unselfish player who would rather pass the ball to set up a teammate than score himself. And he still got 2,000 points.

“When he needs to score — when his team needs him to score — he does it. He can get 25 or 30 points in a game and you don't really notice it.

“He's a silent killer on the basketball court,” his grandfather added.

The first time Purdue coach Matt Painter saw Morton play was at Shaler.

“Ethan took eight shots that night. He was double-digits in assists and rebounds,” Clement said. “He knew the Purdue coach was in the stands. He didn't worry about putting on a show for him.

“He worried about doing what it takes to win the game. That's Ethan Morton.”