Franklin Regional boys turn back Penn-Trafford behind Logan Walter’s 32 points

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, January 16, 2026 | 10:51 PM

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Logan Walter had zero points in the second quarter as Penn-Trafford concentrated on stopping the Franklin Regional junior shooting guard after he had 10 in the first.

The Warriors, however, couldn’t slow him down in the second half. Not with their guards, not with their 2-3 zone, not with their noisy pep band.

Nothing could rattle the 5-foot-10 Walter on a night when he scored half of his team’s points.

“He was hoopin’ tonight,” Franklin Regional coach Jesse Reed said. “He got into a rhythm.”

Walter had 22 of his career-high 32 points after halftime Friday night to lead the visiting Panthers to a 64-58 victory and a season sweep of the Warriors in Section 1-5A.

“My back has been bothering (me), but I stretched before the game,” said Walter, who had 13 in the fourth, made four 3-pointers, and was 8 of 9 on free throws for the game. “I felt good in warmups. … I let the game come to me.”

Second-place Franklin Regional (10-4, 6-2), which had dropped two of its last three coming in, beat the Warriors, 63-47, earlier in the season at home.

Penn-Trafford (5-9, 4-4), battling for third, swept the Panthers last season. The Warriors have dropped four in a row after winning four straight.

“We shared the ball and executed our offense. It wasn’t just (Walter),” Reed said. “This is the best we’ve played in a couple games. I liked our energy and aggressiveness.”

After a first half that was rough around the edges — Penn-Trafford took a 26-25 edge to the break after the teams missed eight straight free throws — Walter and senior point guard Anthony Mitchell triggered a big run in the third. Both guards hit a pair of 3s in the frame, with Walter scoring nine, as the Panthers used a 14-2 spurt to go ahead 42-34.

“Franklin kicked our butts both times,” Warriors coach Doug Kelly said. “They out-toughed us. Their guards played great, but we have a lack of toughness right now. We have the ability to guard, we’re just not showing it.”

Penn-Trafford took a 32-28 lead in the third on a layup by junior forward Ethan McDonald. But Walter hit a 3, and two free throws to put the Panthers back in front.

Senior Rob Briggs scored inside to put the Warriors up briefly, at 34-33, but Mitchell and Walter made consecutive 3s for a 40-34 Panthers lead.

The Warriors carved a nine-point lead in the fourth down to 49-47 with a 6-0 run. Senior Tyler Boss scored off a steal, and senior Peyton Mastro made a layup.

Walter finished a three-point play to push it to 54-49, and Mitchell drove the lane and dumped off to a cutting Walter for a layup to make it 56-50.

“I told (Mitchell) if you get me the ball, I’ll shoot it,” Walter said. “He is a great point guard to have.”

Mastro answered with his own three-point play to close the gap to 56-53 with 56.4 seconds left.

Walter made two free throws following a technical on Penn-Trafford, and sophomore Oliver Leven threw down a dunk to make it 62-55.

Mastro’s 3 trimmed it to 62-58 with 5.9 seconds left before Walter’s game-ending free throws.

Penn-Trafford won the fourth, 22-21, but couldn’t get over the final hurdle.

“In the second half, our defensive intensity was huge,” Reed said. “We were active, and our communication was great.”

Mitchell finished with eight points. Junior Webber Rankin and senior Daniel Mosiello had seven each.

For Penn-Trafford, Mastro had 15, McDonald 14 and senior Zach Feldman 11.

Feldman had a dunk in the first quarter.

The Warriors’ size — Feldman, Briggs and McDonald are 6-5 — hindered the Panthers early but not as much late in the game.

“It’s not about how big you are,” Kelly said.

Franklin Regional lost starting sophomore guard Alec Masten to an apparent knee injury in the third. He did not return.

“Ollie (Leven) stepped up and gave us great minutes,” Reed said. “DJ (Mosiello) also gave us great minutes. Hopefully, (Masten) will be all right. It was hard to tell how good or bad it was.”

Penn-Trafford made 10 of 21 free throws. Franklin Regional was 13 for 19.

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