Boys Basketball - Latrobe vs Penn Hills

Latrobe Boys Beat Penn Hills 90-77 in Battle of WPIAL Hoops Heavyweights 

Latrobe and Penn Hills are no strangers on the basketball court. Last year they split a pair of competitive meetings in section games, and the Indians went on to win the WPIAL Class 6A championship trophy. But realignment has dropped Penn Hills into Class 5A for the next two years while Latrobe remains in Class 6A, so their non-conference meeting on Thursday, December 13 would be their only scheduled matchup this season. Both teams came into the game unbeaten and ranked, and the victor would have a full head of steam heading into the holiday tournament circuit. In the end it was Latrobe who can claim bragging rights in this season's matchup, as the Wildcats used an 18-point second period tally from Reed Fenton to overcome an early deficit and beat the Indians 90-77 in the Greater Latrobe gym.

Penn Hills jumped out to an early lead and had the Wildcats down by five as the first period ended. Then Latrobe took control, outscoring the Indian 34-24 in the second, with Fenton hitting three 3's of his 18 scored in the quarter. In fact, all of Latrobe's starting five made the scorebook in the second quarter and the Cats went into the locker room having flipped the Indians' 5-point first quarter margin and owning a 47-42 lead. 

Latrobe didn't back off when play resumed, building up and holding a double digit lead throughout most of the second half, as they outscored Penn Hills 22-15 and 21-20 in the final two periods. Reed Fenton led all scorers with 36 on the night, followed by teammates Bryce Butler with 21 and Ryan Sickenberger with 13. For Penn Hills, Wes Kropp and Marshall McArthur both had 17, while Kyree Mitchell chipped in 15 and Tyree Spencer 14.

Latrobe moves their season record to 4-0 while Penn Hills falls to 2-1. Latrobe plays Valley in the WCCA Showcase Tournament at Hempfield on Saturday.  

Watch this link for a full gallery of action photos available for purchase or sharing the day after the game.