Penn-Trafford boys beat buzzer to defeat Latrobe

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 | 11:11 PM

One second led to a second chance for Penn-Trafford.

And that snippet of time made for one wild finish in Harrison City.

Ethan McDonald made an off-balance, falling-down shot off a lob from Nick Ponko from under the basket to beat the buzzer and lift Penn-Trafford to a 45-43 victory over Latrobe in Section 1-5A boys basketball Wednesday night.

The ball nicked the glass and rolled full circle around the rim before gently falling in to key a raucous celebration. Players and students ran down the court and created a mob in the far corner of the gym.

An ulcer of a game for 31 minutes and 59 seconds turned brilliant in the final tick as the Warriors sunk the Wildcats again in the clutch.

“Me and Nick made eye contact — go for the lob,” said McDonald, who scored a game-high 20 points. “That was by far one of the best feelings I ever felt.”

Ethan McDonald at the buzzer for the win.

Penn-Trafford 45, Latrobe 43.@PTWarriors @basketball_pt @GLCATATHLETICS @LatrobeHoops @TribLiveHSSN #wpialhoops pic.twitter.com/NA1AxZRL8L

— Bill Beckner (@BillBeckner) January 29, 2026

Penn-Trafford (9-9, 7-4) had only two field goals in the fourth, but both were by McDonald and both were huge.

McDonald completed a three-point play with 23.6 seconds remaining, fouling out 6-foot-7 Latrobe forward Rob Young in the process, to tie it 43-43.

The imposing Young, who didn’t play the last time the teams met, finished with 16 points.

Ian DeCerb came up with a steal, but the Wildcats (6-11, 4-7) turned the ball over with 1 second left.

Penn-Trafford got the ball on the baseline, but Ponko’s inbound pass deflected out off Mikey Monios. The play happened so quickly, the full second did not go off, and the Warriors had another chance.

Latrobe was set for overtime when it had to suddenly reset its defense.

“I never saw anything like that in my life,” Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel said. “I am not calling it cheating, but come on now. The official saw the ball get tipped. The clock should have started. This is tough for our guys.

“That celebration shouldn’t have been allowed to happen. It could have led to an ugly scene.”

Wetzel talked with officials afterward, and they said a full second could not have gone off on that restart, only a couple tenths of a second at the most.

It was enough for Penn-Trafford to disappoint Latrobe again in the final seconds. Earlier this season, Ponko made a layup with 4.1 seconds remaining as Penn-Trafford rallied from 17 down in the second half for a 67-65 win at Latrobe.

The rematch was much rougher around the edges, but nobody gets style points in the standings.

“When you’re out three days, this is kind of what you expect,” Penn-Trafford coach Doug Kelly said. “Both teams struggled. Our guys battled. The first (out-of-bounds play) was a look off a read. The second was all those guys. If (the lob) is there, go get it. They made the play.”

Penn-Trafford led the low-scoring contest until early in the third quarter, taking a 15-5 lead early. From there, the lead changed sides eight times as Latrobe countered but couldn’t stay in front.

Ponko hit a 3-pointer to give the Warriors a 32-28 edge in the third.

McDonald was credited for a basket after a goaltend was called on DeCerb with 1:15 left in the third.

Sawyer Butina followed with a three-point play as Latrobe closed to within 34-32.

Penn-Trafford didn’t make another field goal until McDonald’s and-1 inside a minute. That means the Warriors went nearly a full quarter with a field goal.

“Winning is hard. It’s flat-out hard to win games,” Kelly said. “We played tough through the miscues, the turnovers and the missed layups. I look at Peyton Mastro. He makes a turnover, then on the next play gets a steal. It’s that other 92 percent that matters.”

Said McDonald: “We’ve been grinding it out all season.”

DeCerb had a dunk for the Wildcats, and Tatsch made back-to-back baskets to put Latrobe ahead 43-40 with 30 seconds remaining.

But McDonald came up with a deflection in the paint and scored over Young, then made his free throw, to tie it 43-43.

“That was such a big play,” Kelly said. “To get the and-1 and foul (Young) out.”

Mastro and Andy Tatsch each scored eight.

Penn-Trafford has won four straight after losing four in a row — after winning four straight. The Warriors, who recently upset No. 2 Thomas Jefferson, also have a buzzer-beating win over Uniontown.

The Warriors are in third place in the section. The top four teams make the playoffs.

“Give credit to Penn-Trafford,” Wetzel said. “They battled.”

Latrobe had lost 4 of 6 and has a steep climb ahead.

“We’re desperate now,” Wetzel said. “We have to win out. I expect our guys to embrace the challenge.”

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

Tags: Latrobe, Penn-Trafford