Fenton scores 36 as Latrobe boys top Penn Hills in nonsection showdown

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, December 13, 2018 | 10:24 PM

Latrobe trailed Penn Hills early, but the Wildcats quickly got on track and rolled to another high-scoring victory to remain unbeaten.

Reed Fenton scored half of his game-high 36 points in the second quarter, sparking a Latrobe uprising that carried the Wildcats to a 90-77 victory in a nonsection boys basketball game Thursday night.

“Penn Hills gave it to us early, and we weren’t expecting that,” Fenton said. “I’m proud of the way we came back and played all out the whole night.”

Fenton keyed Latrobe’s 34-point outburst in the second quarter as the Wildcats (4-0), ranked No. 2 in Class 6A by Trib Total Media, took a 47-42 halftime lead.

Class 5A No. 2 Penn Hills (2-1) jumped on Latrobe at the opening tip and finished the first quarter with an 18-13 advantage.

“They just threw a great punch out of the gate. We were shellshocked,” Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel said.

But Fenton, with a balanced supporting cast, led by Bryce Butler’s 21 points, brought Latrobe back by scoring 11 consecutive points during a 16-2 run that put the Wildcats ahead for good.

Penn Hills coach Dan DeRose went to a box-and-one defense against Latrobe to start the second half, keying on Fenton.

But the Wildcats, with Fenton limited to four points in the quarter, still managed a 21-15 advantage to increase their lead to 68-57.

“The problem with paying too much attention to Fenton and Butler is the other guys they have can step up,” DeRose said. “We really lost Fenton there in the first half, so we tried paying more attention to him.”

Butler and Ryan Sickenberger combined for 13 points to pave the way in the third.

“This was good for us,” DeRose said. “It was good playing in this environment. This game was much like last year’s here. We got off to an fast start, but we didn’t hold the lead.”

Sickenberger added 13 points and Michael Noonan scored 11 for Latrobe.

Wes Kropp and Marshall McArthur led Penn Hills with 17 points apiece. Kyree Hairston-Mitchell added 15 and Tyree Spencer 14 for the Indians.

Latrobe scored 90 points for the second time and is averaging 83.5 over the first four games, led by Fenton, who entered the night averaging 30.3 points per game.

“We’ve got three guys starting that were JV players a year ago,” Wetzel said. “It’s nice to have the kind of leadership we have from Reed and Bryce. They’re very versatile players.”

Fenton finished with eight blocks as Latrobe’s defense bothered Penn Hills throughout the game.

Latrobe hit 19 of 23 free throws with Fenton connecting on all 11 of his attempts. Penn Hills was 9 for 12.

Section 3-6A rivals last season, Latrobe and Penn Hills split a pair of games, with each team winning on its home court. Penn Hills went on to win the WPIAL championship. The Indians dropped down to Class 5A this season.

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Latrobe, Penn Hills