Franklin Regional pushes high-energy pace, pulls away from Penn-Trafford

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, December 12, 2025 | 10:46 PM

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Playing with high energy allowed Franklin Regional to set an early tone in its Section 1-5A boys basketball opener. It happened on both ends of the floor and was often relentless.

It gave the Panthers momentum and let them push the pace against Penn-Trafford, a team that likes to play the same way but was denied opportunities to run on numerous trips down the court.

A bad shooting night didn’t help the Warriors, either, as Franklin Regional bested them 63-47 on Friday night in Murrysville.

A close game early and into the first few minutes of the third was all Panthers in the fourth as a 10-0 run pushed the margin to 20.

A junior guard tandem did the heavy lifting as Logan Walter erupted for a career-high 27 points, and Webber Rankin added 19 for the Panthers (4-1, 1-0), who held Penn-Trafford (1-4) without a field goal for nearly six minutes in the third as they built a double-digit advantage.

The Warriors swept the Panthers in two games last year.

“You have to play that way against P-T teams,” Panthers coach Jesse Reed said. “They always play with intensity. We had to come out and match it and then exceed it. We played well tonight.”

Walter, who was 10 for 10 at the free-throw line, said setting the tone early allowed the Panthers to play more freely.

Crisp passing and movement let them settle in, and pressure defense was a complement.

“It’s always nice to start off 1-0 (in section),” Walter said. “We want to make the playoffs, but our first goal is to win the section. We did a great job with backside help on their two bigs. Our defense down low was great.”

Senior Zach Feldman (6-foot-4) and junior Ethan McDonald (6-5), the pair to whom Walter was referring, were limited. Feldman finished with a team-high 14 points, and McDonald had four.

Senior guard Ben Lenart had 10 for the Warriors, including their only 3-pointer, which came late in the fourth.

Walter had 15 in the first half as the Panthers took a 31-23 lead into the break.

Rankin had 14 in the second half, getting to the rim and finishing in a similar fashion to his older brother, Cooper, now a key guard at La Roche.

“It comes down to what they do in the summer,” Reed said of Walter and Webber Rankin. “They work their butts off. It’s not surprising when you see whey they do before the season.”

Feldman picked up a loose ball and scored with 3 minutes left in the second quarter to tie it 21-21, but the Panthers went ahead on a Walter layup and never trailed again.

Walter had eight of the Panthers’ last 10 points of the first half.

“Franklin played physical for a smaller team,” Penn-Trafford coach Doug Kelly said. “We have to be able to finish better when we get the ball. It’s a section game. You can’t make excuses. We gave them opportunities, and we didn’t shoot it well. They were a little quicker to the ball.”

The Warriors, who are allowing 60 points a game, cut it to eight early in the third, but Rankin hit a 3 and then tipped in a miss to put the Panthers ahead 40-25.

“The third quarter has not been good to us (this season),” Kelly said.

After junior Trent Brown converted a three-point play to end the third for Penn-Trafford, the Panthers scored 10 straight, with senior Colin Holt scoring from sophomore Alec Masten, Webber putting back his own miss and Walter finishing a drive for a 55-35 lead with 3:35 to play.

Penn-Trafford could only cut it to 15 the rest of the way.

“Our ball movement was good, and we gang-rebounded and helped on defense,” Reed said. “Defense drives our offense. I was proud of our composure.”

Franklin Regional hopes to take the momentum into tough section games next week against McKeesport and rival Gateway.

Penn-Trafford, meanwhile, has a quick turnaround. It will head south for a 2:15 p.m. game Saturday against Loudoun Valley High School at the John Handley Showcase in Winchester, Va.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Penn-Trafford