CHAMBERSBURG — Following his team's second-round boys basketball state playoff game against Coatesville, Butler junior guard Ethan Morton summed up the night rather succinctly.

“I don't believe they (Red Raiders) are a better team than us, but they played a better game,” said Morton, whose effort included 36 points and 11 rebounds.

Specifically, it was turnovers, 22 to be exact, that thwarted Butler's chances of reaching the Class 6A quarterfinals in a 77-72 loss at Chambersburg High School Wednesday night.

“Turnovers are one thing, but turnovers that lead to buckets, that's another,” said Butler coach Matt Clement. “There were too many of those tonight.”

Fifteen of the miscues came in the second and third quarters, helping Coatesville build a 53-42 lead with eight minutes to play.

“We kept the pressure on,” said first-year Coatesville coach Fred Thompson. “It's not my style, they've been playing that way for years.”

Butler's deficit swelled to 18 points before the Tornado staged a furious comeback attempt.

Morton scored seven points and Mason Montag drained a trey during a 10-0 run that pulled Butler to within 64-56 with 3:50 left. But the Tornado didn't cut the edge to less than six points until Montag's 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining.

It was too little, too late.

“When we were down by (18), at the beginning of the season, we would have lost this game by 25,” said Clement. “We have a lot of young players and we grew up a lot during the season.”

Sophomore guard Mattix Clement hit a pair of treys early as Butler (21-6) led 19-14 after one quarter. That's when the turnover bug began to truly affect the Tornado.

They gave up the ball four times in six possessions and Coatesville guard Jhamir Brickus began to hit his stride, scoring four field goals in the period to help the Raiders lead 33-27 at halftime.

Brickus ended the game with a team-high 31 points, 20 of them coming in the final two quarters.

Butler continued to struggle in the opening moments of the second half. Turnovers held the Tornado to just a pair of field goal attempts — both misses — in the first 3:50 of the third quarter.

Trailing 39-29, Butler needed a spark and received it from freshman guard Devin Carney. He scored one bucket and hit two 3-pointers to settle Butler's offense down by the end of the quarter.

“He handled the ball well and made good decisions all night long,” Clement said of Carney, who had 18 points in support for the Tornado. “He was a good outlet and he made the shots, too. This was his best game of the season.”

But foul trouble began to affect the way Butler was able to defend Coatesville's athleticism. Morton picked up his third foul early in the third quarter and Luke Patten his fourth by the end of the period.

The Raiders (28-2) capitalized, scoring 20 points in the quarter.

Thompson knew Morton was a great player entering the game. He is even more impressed now.

“He gave me nightmares the last few nights,” he said. “He's 6-5 and taller than any of our guys. We knew he was going to score his points, but we couldn't let him explode for 50.

“Butler's a good team,” he added.

“You're not happy unless you win the gold,” said Clement, “but we were one of the youngest 6A teams in the WPIAL and the state. We have a lot of guys coming back next year.”

“Having it end like this, it hurts,” Morton said, “but we fought the whole game and I'm proud of our guys.”

BUTLER 72

Devin Carney 8 0-0 18, Mattix Clement 2 0-0 6, Luke Patten 3 0-1 6, Ethan Morton 10 15-17 36, Isaiah Scribner 0 0-0 0, Zach Slomers 0 0-0 0, Mason Montag 2 0-0 6. Totals: 25 15-18 72.

COATESVILLE 77

Donovan Brickus 4 0-0 9, Dapree Bryant 7 3-4 17, Jhamir Brickus 12 6-9 31, Dymere Miller 2 2-4 7, Jaeden Brickus 0 2-2 2, John Proctor 2 0-0 4, Tione Holmes 2 3-6 7. Totals: 29 16-25 77.

Butler 19 8 15 30 — 72

Coatesville14 19 20 24 — 77

3-point goals: Carney 2, Clement 2, Morton, Montag 2; D.Brickus, J.Brickus, Miller