Latrobe boys roll past Penn-Trafford for key Section 3-6A victory

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, January 4, 2019 | 10:24 PM

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Latrobe waited for an opening, waited for Penn-Trafford to relent some in its half-court zone, which slowed the track-meet Wildcats for stretches.

Then, they pounced.

Once top-ranked Latrobe picked up the pace again, they moved the ball, spread the floor, scored in transition and rolled to a 79-55 victory over the host Warriors in a Section 3-6A game before a packed gym in Harrison City on Friday night.

“We said, let’s be patient until we can break this thing open and crack it open,” Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel said. “I was proud of them for that. We wanted to make a statement tonight. The pace suited us, and we had a lot of guys contribute.”

Senior Bryce Butler scored a game-high 29 points and senior Reed Fenton added 18 for the Wildcats (9-2, 2-0), who changed the mood of a close game with a 13-3 third-quarter run.

Latrobe had eight players score, including Michael Noonan with 10 points, and Ethan Jacquet and Drew Clair added seven apiece.

Penn-Trafford (6-4, 1-1) never led, but cut the lead to 40-36 on a layup by Luke Fabac. But Drew Clair hit a 3-pointer and Ethan Jacquet converted a three-point play and suddenly the Wildcats were up 52-39.

They went ahead by double digits and stayed there, increasing the margin to 21 twice in the fourth, on a fast-break hoop by Ryan Sickenberger, and again on a Fenton dunk.

Butler made high-percentage shots, getting into position to receive the ball, then scoring around the rim. The West Liberty recruit scored 17 in the second half.

“We kind of slowed down some and they came back,” Butler said. “I struggled early but kept going and shared the ball, and everything came back to me. It’s always tough to play here. I give credit to my teammates for giving me the ball.”

Oddly, the game started with no jump-circle tip. Penn-Trafford was called for a technical foul when Brayden Puskar hanged on the rim during warmups.

In addition, Warriors coach Jim Rocco had to remain seated on the bench for the entire game.

“That was strange,” Rocco said. “I didn’t see what happened. That wasn’t why we lost. Foul trouble was big and we could have been better from the foul line. We were OK for awhile, but Latrobe is just so talented.”

The Warriors were 9 of 21 from the free-throw line.

Fenton, a Lehigh recruit, made two free throws to start the game, in lieu of a tip. He scored the first seven points for the Wildcats.

“That was the first time we had to deal with that,” Fenton said. “It was more of a mental thing than anything. One point, you get that back pretty easy in basketball. But having the ball first, to be able to start off with a chance to punch them in the throat, get an early basket and set the tone, that is pretty big.”

Butler and Fenton have been one of the top one-two scoring punches in the WPIAL the last two years, and they proved it again in a big game.

“Reed and Bryce are D-1 kids,” Rocco said. “They are special kids. I have watched them come up since they were in fifth grade. Bryce had a quiet 30 tonight — that tells you how good he is. They’ll both probably start next year (in college).”

Kevin Stinelli led Penn-Trafford with 14 points, while Fabac had 13 and Zach Rocco, 10.

Latrobe took a 38-31 advantage into the break.

Puskar tied it 24-all with 5:48 left in the second quarter.

Bill Beckner is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Bill at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Latrobe, Penn-Trafford