Penn-Trafford secures playoff berth with win over Latrobe
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Tuesday, February 6, 2024 | 10:41 PM
Penn-Trafford’s Tyler Freas (4) drives to the hoop against Latrobe’s Ian DeCerb on Tuesday.
Penn-Trafford’s Jack Weishaar (20) is guarded closely by Latrobe’s Kyle McNeil (24) and Ian DeCerb (5) on Tuesday.
Penn-Trafford’s Keith Otto (11) puts up shot against Latrobe on Tuesday.
Penn-Trafford’s Zack Feldman goes up for two against Latrobe on Tuesday.
Penn-Trafford’s Tyler Freas (4) drives to the hoop against Latrobe’s Ian DeCerb (5) on Tuesday.
Latrobe’s Darius Davis (3) rips down a rebound against Penn-Trafford on Tuesday.
Penn-Trafford’s Zack Feldman is surrouded by Latrobe’s John Wetzel (10) and Ian DeCerb (5) during Tuesday’s game.
The Penn-Trafford boys basketball team clinched a spot in the upcoming WPIAL playoffs Tuesday by holding off Latrobe, 71-61, in a key Section 3-5A battle at home.
The Warriors (5-4, 11-10) used a big second quarter to take the lead and got clutch 3-pointers from Tyler Anthony and Tyler Freas in the third quarter when Latrobe closed the gap to a point.
Penn-Trafford finishes the regular season at Kiski Area, and a win could help its resume for playoff seeding.
Latrobe (3-6, 8-12) has dropped five consecutive games and saw its playoff hopes hurt. The Wildcats can still make the playoffs with a win against Gateway at home on Friday and a Penn-Trafford win at Kiski Area.
Penn-Trafford won the season series after winning the first meeting, 83-56.
“We’re really not a one-man show,” Penn-Trafford coach Doug Kelly said. “We have a lot of guys who can step up. We just grinded it out and found a way like (Tuesday). I love these guys. They do just enough.”
Latrobe came out quickly and raced to a 7-2 lead behind John Wetzel. But Penn-Trafford shook off the slow start and went on a 9-0 run to grab an 11-7 lead. Keith Otto scored back-to-back buckets during the run.
The Wildcats, however, led 14-13 thanks to their own 7-0 run.
“We played hard, and the players showed a lot of heart,” Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel said. “The ball just didn’t bounce our way a couple times. We made the run in the third quarter and got the lead to one. Then they hit the 3s, and the lead was back up to seven and never could get over the bubble.”
Penn-Trafford outscored the Wildcats, 19-11, in the second quarter and took a 32-25 lead into the locker room. The Warriors got the lead to 34-25 on their first possession of the third quarter on a bucket by Ian Temple.
But Latrobe charged back behind Max Butler, who scored eight of his 17 points in the quarter. Despite his effort, the 3-pointers countered his effort.
“We knew Latrobe was going to give us a tough game,” Freas said. “They were fighting for a playoff spot like us, but we kept our composure and that’s why we were able to win.”
Wetzel led Latrobe with 21 points, and Ja’Tawn Williams added 11.
Freas led Penn-Trafford with 14 points. Feldman added 12, and Temple and Otto each scored 10.
“Latrobe is well coached,” Kelly said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It was nice that Zack gave a presence under the basket.”
Penn-Trafford has now won three consecutive games. They look to even the score Friday against Kiski Area, which won the first meeting of the season.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
Tags: Latrobe, Penn-Trafford
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