Westmoreland County boys basketball notebook: Noah Felentzer filling scoring role at Southmoreland
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Thursday, January 23, 2025 | 11:01 AM
Noah Felentzer expected to get the basketball more this season for Southmoreland.
With the graduation of career 1,500-point scorer Ty Keffer, his scoring would be pivotal to the team’s success.
Whether he realized it or not, Keffer helped Felentzer prepare for the go-to role.
“I think what prepared me most was the games last year when they took Ty out of the game, and I had to step up for the team against tough competition,” said Felentzer, a 6-foot-1 point guard. “I think Ty did a lot for me when we lifted together over the past summer.”
Felentzer is averaging 22 points for the Scotties, who have won nine of their past 10 games and are in first place in Section 4-3A.
Though he is a different player than Keffer, Felentzer manages to rack up points. He scored 36 in a 70-52 win over Mt. Pleasant and had 30 twice: when the Scotties downed South Park, 66-58, and East Allegheny, 56-50.
Felentzer added 29 in a 74-54 loss to Keystone Oaks, and he also had a 24-point game against East Allegheny in the Carlynton tournament when he was named MVP.
Felentzer went hoop for hoop with Ringgold’s Demetri Lowe on Tuesday. He finished with 32 points, but Lowe netted 35 and earned the win 71-63.
His offseason was spent fine-tuning his scoring ability.
“I have mostly worked on everything: dribbling, finishing, shooting,” he said. “I think that has 100% translated as I have become a better scorer.”
Felentzer said getting to the rim is the cornerstone of his game, but “other aspects could use more work.”
An example?
“I definitely need to work on (defense),” he said. “It’s definitely the weakest part of my game, and I need to fix that.”
Southmoreland’s newfound success is multifaceted, from the move down to 3A, to a unit that is a year older, to a balance of guards and size.
“I think we are finally starting to put it all together,” Felentzer said. “This group has been together since middle school, so we are used to playing together. We push each other and work to become the best we can every day.”
Recalling the Tomsons
Before Latrobe’s Butler brothers left their mark on Westmoreland County high school basketball, there were the Tomsons.
The Butlers — Austin, Bryce, Landon and Max — are believed to be the first foursome of brothers in WPIAL history to score 1,000 career points each.
But the Tomsons also had four 1,000-point scorers — two of them topped 2,000 points — and five total brothers who came through the program at tiny Westmoreland Christian Academy, a non-WPIAL member that plays in the Southwest Christian Athletic Conference.
Joshua Tomson (2008 graduate) is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,572 points, whereas Jacob Tomson (2015) had 2,400 points, Jeremy Tomson (2010) finished with 2,215 and Justin Tomson had 1,434.
Jordan Tomson had 524 points.
Jacob Tomson has the school record for points in a game with 58.
Joshua and Jeremy Tomson were NCSAA All-Americans.
While the five boys scored more than 9,000 points, they also combined for 282 wins at WCA.
Same opponent
Latrobe’s Butlers have something in common with their scoring milestones.
Austin Butler and Max Butler scored their 1,000th point against Albert Gallatin. Landon Butler and Bryce Butler reached the scoring mark when they played Penn-Trafford.
Load management
Because of weather postponements, Jeannette is set to play five games in eight days starting Friday at Riverview. Then, the Jayhawks play Derry on Sunday at the Shootout at Seton Hill, are at Frazier on Tuesday, at Clairton next Thursday and home vs. Springdale next Friday.
Coach Adrian Batts called it their “NBA schedule.”
I know you
Dante Porter has a chance to sweep his alma mater.
The first-year coach at Ligonier Valley will lead the Rams against Mt. Pleasant, the school for which he played, on Friday night in Ligonier.
Ligonier Valley won the first meeting 71-51 just before Christmas.
Also Friday, Elizabeth Forward will play at Greensburg Salem, the alma mater of EF coach Nolan Larry. The Warriors beat Greensburg Salem once already this year 63-44.
Other local coaches who have gone against their former high schools this year include Bill Swan of Hempfield (vs. Connellsville), Jesse Reed of Franklin Regional (vs. Greensburg Central Catholic) and Batts (vs. Steel Valley).
Playoff rundown
The WPIAL playoffs are set to begin around Feb. 13. The annual release of tournament brackets is scheduled for Feb. 10. Qualifying is slightly different this year. In sections with eight teams, the top five teams make the playoffs. In sections with seven or fewer teams, the top four advance.
Layups
Franklin Regional’s Connor Crossey scored a career-high 34 points Tuesday as the Panthers earned a key win over McKeesport, 67-51. … Mt. Pleasant and second-year coach Annie Malkowiak are still seeking their first win of the season. The Vikings (0-16) have dropped 19 straight. They play at Ligonier Valley on Friday. … Belle Vernon moved up one spot to No. 3 in the TribLive 4A rankings, and Southmoreland went from No. 4 to No. 3 in 3A. Greensburg Central Catholic is No. 1 in 2A, and Jeannette is up a spot to No. 2. … GCC is No. 2 in the 2A state rankings.
Friday slate
Local games to watch Friday night include Hempfield at Central Catholic and Upper St. Clair at Norwin in Section 2-6A; Gateway at Franklin Regional, Latrobe at Laurel Highlands and Penn-Trafford at Uniontown in Section 1-5A; Derry at Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward at Greensburg Salem in Section 3-4A; Southmoreland at Charleroi in Section 4-3A; and Jeannette at Riverview in Section 1-2A.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Belle Vernon, Burrell, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield, Jeannette, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Southmoreland
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