MILLCREEK TWP, Erie County — It wasn’t a performance new to Devin Carney.

Butler’s star senior guard was 13 of 27 from the field and finished with 35 points in the Golden Tornado’s 69-67 boys basketball loss at McDowell Thursday night.

But one basket in particular put him in some very select company.

His layup with 4:05 remaining in the second quarter gave him 2,001 points in his varsity career.

Only two other boys in Butler County have ever reached the 2,000-point milestone - Mars’ Robby Carmody (2,390) and Butler’s Ethan Morton (2,198).

“It’s definitely bittersweet,” Carney said. “In a perfect situation, I’d get 2K in a win, but things don’t always go as planned.

“We’ll put this game behind us. We have Hampton coming up, then we’ll get ready for the playoffs.”

Butler coach Matt Clement watched Morton reach 2,000 just two years ago. He put Carney’s feat into perspective.

“I think the thing to keep in mind is he’s done it while playing in (Class) 6A in the WPIAL,” he said. “Our section is so tough and we’re playing North Allegheny, Pine-Richland, Seneca Valley and North Hills three times every season now.

“It’s 2,000 points, but it’s like he’s scored even more.”

Butler (11-9) trailed for much of Thursday’s game, but Carney drained four of his seven treys in the fourth quarter and it seemed as though his memorable night would include a victory. His 3-pointer with 3:22 left gave Butler a 59-58 lead.

But McDowell responded immediately with a bucket from Luke Chamberlain and the Trojans had the lead for good.

McDowell (10-9) led 69-67 after a free throw from Isaiah Logvin with 11 seconds left. Carney and Colin Patterson both missed rushed shots at the other end and time expired.

The game had the feel of two rival teams facing each other.

“It was very spirited,” Clement said. “They (Trojans) don’t get much competition up here, so they schedule WPIAL teams.

“They had a player coming onto their court tonight to score his 2,000th point and I’m sure that added some extra motivation for them.”

McDowell coach Kevin O’Connor agreed.

“I’m from Carnegie, went to Keystone Oaks,” he said. “This felt like a WPIAL game and that’s what I want.”

The Trojans received 25 points from Chamberlain and 16 from reserve Stephon Porter, who was playing in just his second varsity game.

Madden Clement scored 11 points for Butler.

O’Connor was impressed with Carney, an Elon University recruit. The former coached McDowell graduate and current Pitt swingman William Jeffress for three years.

“I’ve been following Devin for a few years,” O’Connor said. “He was electrifying tonight. You get up to 2,000 points, those are big-boy numbers.”

Carney appreciates all the hard work it took for him to get to 2,000.

“It’s a big accomplishment and I’m proud of what I’ve done,” he said. “My teammates, all the guys, have helped me.”

“Devin’s a guy who’s always going to come ready to play,” added Matt Clement. “You have to have a lot of things go your way to accomplish what he’s done. You need great teammates, you need to be really good and you need to stay healthy.”

BUTLER 67

Braylon Littlejohn 0 2-2 2, Devin Carney 13 2-2 35, Madden Clement 3 4-6 11, Raine Gratzmiller 0 4-4 4, Colin Patterson 2 0-0 5, Charlie Kreinbucher 1 3-7 5, Ryan Porch 1 2-2 5, Lance Slater 0 0-0 0, Ryan McLister 0 0-0 0, Hayden Thompson 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 17-23 67.

MCDOWELL 69

Jake Banks 1 0-0 2, Isaiah Logvin 5 3-4 16, Tyler Grove 2 0-0 4, Brody Paris 0 2-2 2, Luke Chamberlain 10 5-7 25, Nick Grimm 2 0-1 4, Stephon Porter 5 6-7 16. Totals: 25 16-21 69.

Butler 9 21 15 22 - 67

McDowell 16 14 18 21 - 69

3-point goals: Butler 10 (Carney 7, Clement, Patterson, Porch); McDowell 3 (Logvin 3).

Monday: Butler at Hampton