Latrobe boys rise up to hand Franklin Regional 1st loss in section

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 | 11:01 PM

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Latrobe boys basketball coach Brad Wetzel said his team should not shrink against any opponent or situation.

With the Wildcats’ size, that seems virtually impossible.

When 6-foot-7 center Rob Young casts a shadow over teams like he did Tuesday night against Franklin Regional, Latrobe can play as big as it looks.

The Wildcats’ size advantage was evident from the start and ultimately made the difference in a 63-55 Section 1-5A victory in Murrysville.

Latrobe (4-7, 2-3) blocked shots, altered drives to the rim and slowed down the Panthers (8-3, 4-1), who suffered their first section loss.

“This is by far the biggest team I’ve had,” Wetzel said. “I’ve never had a (true) center, so this is a learning curve for me. The last five practices have been outstanding for us. I think we’re starting to hit our stride a little bit. I thought we might be able to do that in January.”

Young, who played at Summit Academy last season and now attends Adelphoi in Latrobe, scored 16 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, blocked three shots and added three assists for Latrobe, which held back the host team when it got close.

Several Division III and junior college scouts were in attendance to check out Young, an imposing force who passes the eye test and shows flashes of dominance.

Wetzel often called for his guards to get Young the ball against the smaller Panthers.

“It’s a difficult thing because they have so much mass to them,” Franklin Regional coach Jesse Reed said. “They’re just bigger. Our guys battled, but it’s tough when it’s 6-7 against 5-9. (Young) was a big factor.”

Latrobe as a team blocked eight shots. Young had a thunderous dunk in the fourth quarter and delivered a backdoor pass to Ian DeCerb for another jam later in the quarter.

DeCerb and Andy Tatsch are also a tough matchup with both at 6-4, and Dom Scarton is 6-3.

“I feed off the energy of my teammates a lot,” said Young, who grew up in inner-city Pittsburgh. “I love playing here. I love the competition, playing in a higher level.”

Latrobe trailed only twice, at 4-3 and 31-30, stretching the advantage to 10 in the third and batting away the Panthers late.

The lead never got above six in the first half as the Wildcats took a 28-27 edge into halftime.

Latrobe used an 11-2 run in the third to push the lead to 43-33, with Tatsch scoring on a spin move — he later fouled out — Alex Amond scoring on a drive and Young putting back a miss.

“Rob has had some good quarters,” Wetzel said. “He is improving every day and getting better. We’ve been manufacturing ways to lose.

“We had a couple of bonehead plays tonight, and we need to execute better.”

Logan Walter’s three-point play at the end of the third got the Panthers within 45-38.

Franklin Regional had only five field goals in the second half — on 5-for-24 shooting — and made 17 of 19 free throws after halftime, including 10 of 10 in the fourth.

“A lot of shots we took that normally tend to go in didn’t tonight,” Reed said. “Latrobe was physical and aggressive. We were hesitant, and that changed the way we looked at certain shots. We didn’t get into any flow.”

DeCerb added 13 points and nine rebounds, and Sawyer Butina had 11 points for Latrobe, which saw the Panthers close the gap to 59-55 with 33.6 seconds remaining in the fourth.

Walter, who had a game-high 22 points for the Panthers (7 of 7 free throws), made a 3-pointer, and Alec Masten scored off a steal to narrow the deficit.

Scarton’s steal and layup gave Latrobe a 58-50 lead with a minute to play.

Masten finished with 13 points, and Webber Rankin added nine for Franklin Regional, which has won six of eight.

Tatsch and Mikey Monios each scored eight for Latrobe.

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

Tags: Franklin Regional, Latrobe