Boys Basketball - Hempfield vs Penn-Trafford

Late Offensive Surge Falls Short as Hempfield Boys Fall 49-47 to Penn-Trafford

Penn-Trafford held a comfortable lead for the better part of three quarters, but the never-give-up Spartans of Hempfield roared back to within one in the fourth quarter before falling at the buzzer, 49-47, in a WPIAL Class 6A Section 3 contest at Hempfield Area. The Warriors jumped out to a 10-point lead in the first quarter, and held the margin for a 26-16 halftime lead.

Penn-Trafford bumped their lead to 42-26 at the end of the third quarter before Hempfield found their top gear in the final 8 minutes. The Spartans put up 21 points to the Warriors 7 in the final frame, closing the gap to 48-47 with less than 30 seconds to play. Penn-Trafford's Chris Abreu hit one of two free throws to increase the margin to a pair, as Hempfield regained possession with under a dozen ticks left on the clock. Reed Hipps' three point attempt with about 3 seconds left to play bounced off the right side of the rim, and Mikey Gaffney's game-tying put back wouldn't fall, spoiling the Spartans comeback and giving the Warriors the victory on the road.  

Penn-Trafford's Brayden Puskar led all scorers with 20, and Zach Rocco added 10. Drew Coletta was top scorer for the Spartans with 12, as Christian Zilli chipped in for 8. The Warriors improve to 2-1 in section, 7-4 overall. Hempfield drops to 0-3 in section with a 7-5 record overall. 

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