The Show Must Go On
BUTLER TWP — Butler was without Ethan Morton.
The show remained.
Neither team led by more than four points until 38 seconds remained Monday night in the Butler gym before Central Florida Christian Academy closed the game with a 9-0 run to post a 61-52 boys basketball victory over the Golden Tornado.
Morton missed the first varsity game of his career with a sprained ankle. His status for Friday's game against Lincoln Park in the C.J. Betters Tournament is questionable.
“We'll see how he is after Christmas,” Butler coach Matt Clement said. “I decided early today he wasn't gonna play tonight.
“We're not going to put him back on the court until he's 100 percent healthy.”
CFCA (8-1), which plays a handful of games in Western Pennsylvania around the holidays, was hoping to play against Morton.
“It was disappointing,” Eagles coach Andrew Gustafson — who is from Kane (Pa.) — said of Morton's absence. “I mean, he was one of the reasons we scheduled this game.
“It didn't matter in the end, though. This was a tremendous atmosphere and a tremendous game. We had a lot of fun.”
There were 18 lead changes and eight ties on the night. A Mattix Clement lay-up with 1:54 remaining tied the game at 52.
A Marcos Martinez trey with 1:02 left snapped the tie and gave CFCA the lead for good. When Jajuan Preaster sank two free throws with 38.8 seconds to go, the lead was 57-52 — the first five-point lead for either team. A steal and lay-up by Preaster with 20 seconds left sealed the win.
“It was different not having Ethan out there because he does so much for us,” Carney said. “We all had to pitch in and make up for that.
“We were a little nervous when the game started, but once we settled in, we just looked for each other for open shots and played tough defense.”
Mason Montag started and wound up leading Butler with 17 points. He grabbed six rebounds as well. Carney had 15 points, six rebounds and three assists.Charlie Kreinbucher had six points and eight rebounds, Raine Gratzmiller eight points and three assists, Mattix Clement six points, five assists and five rebounds.“I felt like I had to step up my game tonight,” Montag said. “The guards were setting me up for open shots and I was able to hit a few.”Butler (5-2) was outrebounded 31-28 against a team that had a 6-foot-5 point guard and forwards standing 6-7 and 6-4.“Mason, Charlie, Mattix ... everybody ... they had to scrap for every loose ball, every tip, every rebound,” Clement said. “Mason and Charlie worked their butts off inside.“Devin had to play point guard and he hasn't done much of that, not even in AAU ball. Raine and Mattix did a nice job as supplemental ball handlers. I loved how hard we played tonight against a great opponent.”CFCA's lone loss this season was by two points to Bishop High School in Florida. The defending Florida Class 2A state champions have played numerous close games.“Almost all of our games have been like this one,” Gustafson said. “Being defending state champs, it's tough finding teams to play and we had to put together a tough schedule.”All five starters graduated from that state title team and they're all playing in college. Point guard Rily Krugel — who tallied nine points, seven assists and six rebounds Monday — hasd been offered by Division 1 North Florida and is being recruited by Wake Forest.Nick Silva, the Eagles' 6-7 center, scored 19 points and had four rebounds. He is receiving Division 1 looks as well.“When we schjeduled them, we had Luke (Patten, out for the season) and Ethan,” Clement pointed out. “We played that team without those two guys and kept the game tight throughout.“We gained a lot from this game. We've already had different players step up with big scoring games. Raine had a big game that way. Mason did it tonight. We can get points from a lot of places.”CTL. FLA. CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 61Riley Kugel 3-9 2-2 9, Nick Rodriguez 2-6 0-0 5, Gabriel Mocelin 0-0 0-0 0, Marcos Martinez 2-3 0-0 5, Jajuan Preaster 4-7 3-4 11, Anthony Campman 1-3 0-0 2, Justin Preaster 2-2 1-2 5, Imanuel Zorgvol 1-3 0-0 2, Bryson James 1-5 0-0 3, Nick Silva 7-10 4-5 19. Totals: 23-49 10-13 61.BUTLER 52Zach Slomers 0-0 0-0 0, Raine Gratzmiller 2-6 2-2 8, Devin Carney 6-23 2-2 15, Mattix Clement 2-10 2-3 6, Dom McCowan 0-0 0-0 0, Charlie Kreinbucher 3-4 0-0 6, Mason Montag 6-8 3-5 17, Madden Clement 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 19-52 9-11 52.CFCA 11 15 20 15 — 61Butler14 14 17 7 — 523-point goals: Kugel, Rodriguez, Martinez, James, Silva; Gratzmiller 2, Carney, Montag 2Friday: Butler vs. Lincoln Park at C.J. Betters Tournament
