Butler pulls away from SR in 2nd half for 76-48 win
BUTLER TWP — Three open shots from the left corner for Butler junior Tayt Lucas ... bang, bang and bang.
Less than 90 seconds into the game, the Golden Tornado had a 9-0 lead on Slippery Rock before a big crowd in the Butler gym on Friday night. The lead ballooned to 13-0 on a Braylon Littlejohn layup less than three minutes into the game.
“Tayt can shoot the 3 and we did a good job finding him early,” Butler coach Matt Clement said.
The Rockets (5-3) played even with the Tornado (5-1) for the rest of the half, however, trailing 37-24 at intermission. But that effort quickly dissolved into a 76-48 Butler boys basketball victory.
“When we take care of the basketball and do the little things right, we’re confident we can play with anybody,” Rockets coach AJ Motta said. “But start turning the ball over against this bunch?
“That’s a recipe for disaster.”
Slippery Rock had six of its 16 turnovers in the third quarter, helping the Tornado open a big lead. Butler began the period with a 14-3 run — opening up a 51-27 lead midway through the quarter — and Slippery Rock did not challenge again.
Butler’s lead peaked at 76-45 with less than two minutes to play.
“Slippery Rock did a good job of handling our pressure tonight, better than last year when we played them,” Clement said. “We didn’t turn them over all that much.
“When we can get out and run, we’re pretty good. Teams are going to try to slow us down and it’s going to be up to us at times to initiate a quicker pace.”
Littlejohn led the Tornado with 26 points, six assists and five rebounds. Donovan Carney had 24 points, five rebounds and four assists. Carney drained six treys.
“Those two are playing really well together right now,” Clement said. “They look for each other and count on each other.”
Ayden Davis had three assists for Butler and Lucas had four rebounds to go with his early treys.
Butler used 16 players in the game and had only six turnovers through three quarters, nine for the game.
Junior forward Josh Book led all scorers for Slippery Rock with 31 points. He had 11 rebounds as well.
Book entered the game averaging more than 20 points and 10 boards per game.
“Nobody knew much about him before the season but they know him now,” Motta said of Book. “He’s a monster on the boards and he never stops.”
Clement was impressed by Book’s play.
“He works hard, has the green light to shoot and follows his own shot well,” Butler’s coach said. “That’s something we’re trying to get our guys to do.”
Levi Prementine scored seven points and had a pair of steals for Slippery Rock, which sank only 10 of 19 free throws.
Butler’s 2023 athletic Hall of Fame class — girls basketball standout Kim Nowakowski, swimming star Peter Staruch and longtime track and field coach John Williams — were recognized at halftime.
SLIPPERY ROCK 48
Levi Prementine 3-7 0-0 7, Max Kovacik 1-1 0-0 3, Casey Darr 0-0 1-4 1, Parker Dalcamo 0-1 1-2 1, Braden King 1-5 0-2 2, Aderson Franco 0-2 0-0 0, Taylor Rice 0-1 0-0 0, Josh Book 12-20 7-9 31. Totals: 18-38 10-19 48.
BUTLER 76
Mavrik Clement 0-0 0-0 0, Donovan Carney 9-16 0-0 24, Ayden Davis 1-3 0-0 2, Andrew Lucas 1-3 0-0 2, Braylon Littlejohn 12-21 1-1 26, Kyle Casteel 1-2 0-0 2, Jordan Epps 1-2 0-0 3, Tayt Lucas 3-5 0-0 9, Ayden Andrews 0-2 0-0 0, Stainton Forbes 0-1 0-0 0, Coleton Welter 2-4 0-0 4, Andrew Gettinger 0-2 0-0 0, Kaden Blatt 0-2 0-0 0, Ian Lenhart 2-3 0-0 4, Tanner Pry 0-0 0-0 0, Brock Collins 0-0 0-2 0. Totals: 32-64 1-3 76.
Slippery Rock 11 13 8 16 — 48
Butler 26 11 22 17 — 76
3-point goals: Slippery Rock 2 (Prementine, Kovacik), Butler 11 (Carney 6, Littlejohn, T.Lucas 3, Epps)
JV: Butler, 55-31 (B: Mavrik Clement 12, Jaydon Wilbert 10; SR: Tyler Rice 10)
Tuesday: Slippery Rock vs. Union City, 5:30 p.m., Moniteau Tournament
Thursday: Butler vs. Bishop Guilfoyle, 6 p.m., at North Allegheny
