Latrobe cools off Kiski Area to end playoff drought

By: Paul Schofield
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 | 10:40 PM

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Two streaks ended Tuesday in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs.

First, Latrobe ended its playoff drought. And secondly, Kiski Area saw its 12-game winning streak end.

Senior Max Butler scored 18 of his team-high 26 points in the first half, and Latrobe defeated Kiski Area, 59-51, in a physical contest that lasted nearly two hours. The Wildcats had missed the playoffs three consecutive seasons.

The win puts the Wildcats (19-4) in the quarterfinals Friday against No. 1 Montour, which defeated Franklin Regional, 70-42.

The Wildcats took control of the game in the first quarter thanks to the hot hand of Butler.

His first 3-pointer of the game gave the Wildcats a 5-2 lead. By the end of the quarter, Butler added two more 3-pointers and scored 11 of his team’s 15 points.

The Wildcats led 15-7 after a quarter as the Cavaliers made only 3 of 10 shots.

“They pack it in and dare you to shoot from the outside,” Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel said. “It was nice to get off to a hot start. We were hoping to open things up, but they would not allow us.”

Butler continued his hot hand and added seven more points in the second quarter to push the Wildcats’ lead to 31-18 at halftime.

“We knew aboiut Butler,” Kiski Area coach Corey Smith said. “We tried to concentrate on him all week in practice, but he’s such a good player. He was able to do his thing.”

The Wildcats’ tight defense bothered senior Collin Keller in the first half, holding him to three points. He finished with 12 points before fouling out with 2:54 left on an intentional foul. The trio of senior Kyle McNeil, freshman Mikey Monios and Sawyer Butina got his Keller’s face and denied him the ball.

“They did a good job on Keller,” Smith said. “When you’re one of the best shooters in 5A, you’re going to draw attention. They did a good job.”

Kiski Area, which struggled in the first half, battled back in the second half and closed to within six points a couple of times but could not get any closer.

Play got even more physical in the second half, but Wetzel was OK with that because of the way his team responded.

“We weren’t backing down from anyone tonight,” Wetzel said. “We slipped up a little in the third quarter, but this group was not going to be denied. They don’t care about stats; they care about wins.”

The Cavaliers struggled with turnovers. They were missing junior point guard Amaree Gonzalez and sixth-man Andrew Zepeda, both whom were ruled ineligible for the postseason by the WPIAL because of the transfer rule

Jacob Musselman picked up the scoring slack. He led the Cavaliers with 22 points. He scored eight points in the third quarter when the Cavaliers cut the halftime lead to 31-25.

Ian DeCerb had 13 for the Widcats and Andy Tatsch finished with 10.

“We will let them enjoy the bus ride back home to Latrobe and then focus on Montour 3:30p.m. Wednesday at practice,” Wetzel said. “They deserve that.”

The victory by the Wildcats also qualifies them for the PIAA playoffs.

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: Kiski Area, Latrobe