Johnstown too much for Latrobe in PIAA Class 5A 2nd round

By: Paul Buriak
Tuesday, March 11, 2025 | 10:18 PM

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JOHNSTOWN — Latrobe was unable to bounce back from a slow start in Tuesday’s PIAA Class 5A boys basketball second-round contest, and as a result, the Wildcats’ playoff run came to an end with a 67-41 loss to Greater Johnstown at the Pitt-Johnstown Sports Center.

The District 6 champion Trojans (26-1) used tenacious defense and quickness to sprint out to an early double-digit lead in the first quarter. Greater Johnstown subsequently opened up a commanding 39-13 advantage at halftime before eventually triggering the mercy-rule running clock early in the third to effectively seal the outcome.

“They were just too much for us from the start,” said Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel, whose club concluded a 21-7 campaign. “We missed a couple of early opportunities, and they made us pay.”

The Trojans earned a berth in the PIAA quarterfinals Friday against Chartiers Valley at a site and time to be determined.

“We were locked in,” said Greater Johnstown coach Ryan Durham. “That was probably one of our most impressive performances this year in a half, during the first half.”

“That was a really tough game. I know the score didn’t show it, but Latrobe is a really good team and coach Wetzel does a good job with that group,” added Durham.

The Wildcats never held a lead. Greater Johnstown put together an early 10-2 run to grab a 14-4 edge late in the first quarter, and the Trojans’ Tommy Ashcom drained a corner 3 to make it 17-6 heading into the second period.

Greater Johnstown kept up the momentum, scoring the first eight points of the quarter. Junior forward Amier Robinson, who finished with a game-high 20, hit back-to-back buckets, and a transition layup by Donte Tisinger made it 25-6 at the four-minute mark.

Robinson nailed two 3-pointers later in the frame, and Tisinger closed out the half by completing a three-point play. Tisinger, a Boston University signee, scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half.

Turnovers and inability to generate any consistent offense doomed any potential Wildcat comeback attempt.

“We did exactly what you can’t do against them,” Wetzel said. “We struggled offensively with our movement and screens and became stagnant.

“We had a little bit of the deer in the headlights effect, and they capitalized.”

The Trojans again surged to begin the third quarter, as Dom Alberter got hot from long range and buried three of his five 3-pointers to key a 15-4 run that gave Greater Johnstown its biggest lead of the game at 52-17.

“Dom’s ability to shoot the 3 like he does really stretches the floor and makes us tough to guard,” said Durham.

Latrobe senior John Wetzel tallied a team-high 16 points for the Wildcats, while fellow senior Max Butler added 12 points.

Despite closing the year with this loss, coach Wetzel expressed pride in his squad’s overall performance for the season.

“It’s hard right now, but I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” he said. “We won our first state playoff game in 35 years, had a 20-win season, and these guys just battled and fought all year. We just ran into a superior team here tonight.”

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