Westmoreland H.S. basketball notebook: Brad Wetzel, Latrobe savor PIAA win

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, March 10, 2025 | 4:43 PM

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The win meant everything to Brad Wetzel. Everything.

The four-hour bus trip home across the state Friday night from Exeter Township was a joy ride. The 23rd-year coach enjoyed every second of Latrobe’s victory, including celebrating it with his son, John, the senior point guard.

Assistant coach Eric Butler, Wetzel’s longtime right-hand man, also enjoyed the win with his son, senior guard Max Butler.

“The bus ride was actually pretty nice,” coach Wetzel said. “Luckily, our AD (Tyler Gustafson) took care of us and let us travel on a charter bus. As for the ride home, well, let’s just say we all had smiles on our faces and the kids were asleep by the time we hit Harrisburg.”

Latrobe staged a fourth-quarter rally to beat Exeter Township, 64-58, in the PIAA Class 5A first round. The win was the Wildcats’ first in the state postseason since 1990.

Before that, they won a state game in 1987 when Brad Wetzel was a senior guard.

Latrobe (21-6) plays Greater Johnstown (25-1) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Pitt-Johnstown in the second round.

In ’87, Latrobe beat Johnstown, 87-56, in the first round but fell to Farrell, 50-48, in Round 2.

“I remember that game well,” Wetzel said of the Johnstown win. “We probably played the best game we had all season. (Against Farrell) we let the game slip away in the end. That one was hard to accept.”

Wetzel appreciates the makeup of his current group.

“I feel this team being the first team to win a state game in such a long time says a lot about them as competitors,” the coach said. “They are a group that is really fun to coach. No prima donnas or selfish players. They are tough, gritty competitors that understand that winning this year would only be possible by embracing their role on the team and keeping each other accountable. Coach (Eric) Butler and I have coached the seniors since they were in third grade, so watching them have this kind of season was very special for me.

“Getting the 300 wins was nice, but what truly made it special was that these guys put their stamp on it, by winning the first PIAA game since this staff has taken over the program. I won’t ever forget that or the tenacity they revealed in getting that win.”

Wetzel, 56, said the 300th win is a testament to many players he has coached.

“I feel blessed to have coached some remarkable young men and some very special teams. That’s what I think of when I think of that number (300),” he said. “A bunch of great young players and an incredible coaching staff that consists of some of my closest friends have helped us get those wins over the years. What’s important now isn’t the wins but the relationships that were developed over that same period of time. This team has really been a blessing to the school and community and of course to our staff. I have received a bunch of correspondence from some of my ex-players who express how much they enjoy watching this team play.

“I also feel that there is a pretty long tradition of older Latrobe basketball players who have slowly come around to enjoy watching this team play. Honestly, it has made me feel young again.”

GCC draws rematch

Greensburg Central Catholic’s girls will see a familiar team in the PIAA 3A second round Tuesday night.

GCC (22-5) will take on Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (23-4) in a rematch of the WPIAL semifinals. The game will be at the same site, as well: 6 p.m. at Peters Township’s AHN Arena.

GCC won the last matchup 41-18, using a stifling defense to shut down the Chargers, the third-place team from the WPIAL.

OLSH went over 20 minutes without a field goal in the loss.

Claudia Ierullo is the go-to scorer for OLSH. She was limited to seven points in the semifinals.

“We know everything we have to do to win,” GCC guard Jayla Peterson said. “We have to play lockdown defense. Everything they do runs through (No.) 22. If we stop her, we’ll be fine.”

GCC beat OLSH, 40-30, during the regular season.

The Centurions are seeking their third straight trip to the PIAA quarterfinals.

Round mound of rebound

Belle Vernon is winning games with fundamentals, namely rebounding, which has veteran coach Joe Salvino excited to keep this postseason run going for the WPIAL champion Leopards (22-4).

Tommy Davis has back-to-back double-doubles after his 18-point, 11-rebound game Friday in a 74-63 win over Farrell. Teammate Dom Ghilani has three straight double-digit rebound games, including 15 (and 12 points) in the state first round.

“We preach that at practice,” Salvino said. “Tommy and Dom … We need their effort.

“Dom is a man possessed when he fights for those rebounds.”

Belle Vernon outrebounded North Catholic, 40-17, in the WPIAL final.

Belle Vernon has won 16 straight games.

Games at Norwin

Norwin will host a PIAA basketball second-round doubleheader Tuesday.

Winchester Thurston (23-4) takes on Bishop McCort (23-4) at 6 p.m. in Class 2A girls, followed by Aquinas Academy (19-7) vs. Turkeyfoot Valley (23-3) in Class A boys at 7:30.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg C.C., Latrobe, Norwin