Fenton scores 35 to lead Latrobe boys past rival Hempfield

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, January 5, 2018 | 11:50 PM

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Latrobe honored its WPIAL and PIAA baseball championship team at halftime on Friday night.

The basketball team didn't need to take on the persona of that group, known for its come-from-behind wins. No late rally was necessary against visiting Hempfield as Latrobe pulled away early in the second half and rolled to a 71-53 victory in a Section 3-6A game.

Reed Fenton poured in 35 points, Bryce Butler added 18 and Marcus Dudzenski chipped in 10 for the Wildcats (8-3, 3-1) before a sellout crowd that included a pair of rowdy student sections.

“I have a lot of friends on that (baseball) team so I wanted to play well for them,” Fenton said. “I'm happy we got the win tonight.”

Fenton hit his first six shots and finished 15 of 15 from the foul line. He scored 19 after halftime.

“He really keeps them in tempo,” Hempfield coach Bill Swan said of Fenton, who spends extra time practicing free throws.

“I take them seriously,” he said. “I want to make them all.”

Hempfield, which has been in every game but has yet to string together two straight wins, moved to 4-7 overall, 1-3 in Section 3.

The teams traded emphatic blocks in the fourth quarter. Fenton's swat led to a Butler hoop to make it 57-44. Braden Brose, meantime, blocked Dudzenski on a dunk attempt as the Spartans cut it to 59-50.

But Latrobe peeled away at the foul line, making 16 of 18 in the fourth.

“Hempfield is a good team, but I think we tired them out in the second half,” Fenton said. “I think that allowed us to play our game.”

Latrobe opened the second half with a 14-2 surge to take control, running the score to 47-30.

“Hempfield hung tough,” Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel said. “We could feel (a run) coming. You could feel it was going to crack. Our constant pressure helped us break through and get free for a couple.”

The Wildcats led 53-40 after three quarters.

“We were down 36-30 and we missed four free throws,” Swan said. “Then, we cut it to nine and we get a tehnical foul. This wasn't an 18-point game. I'm proud of our guys; they battled to the buzzer.”

Hempfield was called for two technicals. It did not make another field goal after the second one.

Latrobe went more than six minutes without a field goal, and Hempfield took a 20-18 lead during that spell.

Colvin Stallings finally scored on a driving lay-in, Fenton followed with two scores and Marcus Dudzenski converted a three-point play to push the Wildcats lead to 31-23.

Reed Hipps connected on a 3-pointer to beat the second-quarter buzzer to get the Spartans within 33-28 at halftime.

Hipps led Hempfield with 17 points and Sliwoski added 12.

Dudzenski puntuated the win with a dunk.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Hempfield Area, Latrobe