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Butler’s standout junior Ethan Morton had the best night of his career, statistically. He finished with 51 points, eight rebounds and eight assists but would willingly take some of those points back if it meant a win for his team.

Pine-Richland, who focused on stopping the other Golden Tornado on the court, did just enough of that to come away with a 79-74 victory to take over sole possession of first place in Section 1-6A.

Morton was very efficient on the night, converting 20 of 31 from the field and was 11 of 13 from the free-throw line. He did not make a 3-pointer in the game.

After falling behind early, 20-8, the Rams found their groove to quickly get back into the game. They cut the deficit to one, 40-39, at halftime, and played most of the second half with the lead.

Pine-Richland had stellar offensive performances on their end, led by senior Dan Petcash with 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Senior Colin Luellen finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and two assists and senior Greg Shulkosky had 17 points, seven assists and two rebounds.

With the win, Pine-Richland improves to 10-2 overall and 3-0 in the section. The Rams will go for their 10th straight win on Friday when they host North Hills in a section game at 7:30 p.m.

With the loss, Butler drops to 9-3 overall and 2-1 in the section. The Golden Tornado will host Central Catholic on Friday in a section game at 7:30 p.m.