BUTLER TWP — When Butler’s varsity boys basketball season ended with a WPIAL playoff loss at Mt. Lebanon, senior guard Ryan Porch figured his hoop career ended with it.

Not quite.

After averaging 6.6 points per game as a first-year starter for the Golden Tornado, Porch was invited to play in the Cager Classic, a high school all-star game held recently at Highlands High School.

“At first, I wasn’t going to play,” Porch said. “Track season had started and I figured I’d concentrate on that. But Colin (fellow Butler senior Casteel) was invited to play, too, and it was a chance to play one last game together.”

Porch is headed to Pitt-Johnstown for college and plans to major in engineering. He is not going to play basketball there.

His last basketball game proved to be memorable.

Porch scored 22 points and tallied five assists in the Cager Classic, securing the game’s MVP award. He won the boys 3-point shooting contest the night before the game.

“That was the last thing I expected, going down there,” Porch said. “There were a lot of really good players in that game. I just happened to get hot. It was one of those things.

“I’m so glad I played in that game. That was a great way to end my high school career.”

It also completed an impressive climb for Porch as a basketball player.

He is a three-sport athlete for the Golden Tornado, averaging 38.15 per nine holes as a golfer in the fall. He competes in the long jump, triple jump, high jump and 4x100 meter relay in track and field.

“Because of his involvement in golf, Ryan could only participate in our fall (basketball) program about half the time,” Butler basketball coach Matt Clement said. “He still was able to solidify a starting position because of how hard he worked at it.

“You can never predict the future, of course, but when he was in sixth and seventh grade, I didn’t envision him as one of our main contributors at the varsity level moving forward. But he kept elevating himself that way.”

Clement said that entering the 2021-22 season, “I had no idea who our No. 6 through 12 varsity players would be. Ryan wound up being our sixth man. Going into this season, I had no clue who our No. 4 through 12 guys would be. He wound up being No. 4. He climbed to the top in both of those instances.”

Porch sank 20 treys this past season and shot 88% from the free throw line. And he executed a key role on the floor — feeding the post — very well.

“If you want to play basketball at Butler, you have to prove yourself, be patient, keep working and earn a spot,” Porch said. “I never knew how many minutes I was gonna get. I did know I had to earn them.”

Porch received Butler’s Sixth Man Award his junior season. He received the team’s Coaches Award for his play as a senior.

“Ryan was very good at getting the ball into the post. We ran a lot of plays off that,” Clement said. “He turned into an effective, dependable player for us, one of those guys who does a lot of things to help the team win.

“He’s one of the group of guys on our team who have been playing basketball together since second grade. He’s an excellent golfer, good jumper in track ... He could play Division III basketball if he chose to go that way.”

Porch is also one of a few 4.0 students on the Tornado basketball team.

Part of his duties during his high school career was guarding 2,000-point scorer Devin Carney during practice.

“I know Devin got the better of me most of the time,” Porch said. “But guarding him made me a better defensive player. And I knew I wouldn’t be guarding guys in games with the offensive skill set that he had.

“I loved my time in basketball. Being able to start my senior year ... It’s hard to get there because there’s so many good players in that program. I’m proud of that.”

And Clement is proud of him.

“MVP of an all-star game? I’m thrilled for him,” the coach said. “Ryan deserved that night. It’s a fitting way for him to go out. He’s a gritty player, a great kid, and I’m proud of him.”