Boys Basketball - Greater Latrobe vs Franklin Regional

January 10, 2023

Franklin Regional Boys Get 52-39 Road Win at Latrobe

For the past two seasons, home sweet home has been the mantra each time the Franklin Regional and Latrobe boys have met on the hardwood. Well, maybe we should nickname this year's Franklin Regional squad the Homewreckers. The Panthers came into the Greater Latrobe gymnasium and prevailed 52-39 in a hard-fought Class 5A Section 3 battle with the Wildcats on Tuesday, January 10.

Scoring was an issue for both teams in the opening quarter. The Panthers opened a 6-0 lead before Landon Butler put the Wildcats on the board with a field goal at 2:06 on the clock. Latrobe came back to tie the score 6-6 before Cooper Rankin's free throw in the closing seconds of the quarter made it 7-6 for the visitors heading to the second quarter.

The scoring pace picked slightly in the second quarter, but neither team was setting the nets on fire. Landon Butler, who entered the game needing 21 points to reach 1000 in his career, scored 8 of Latrobe's 14 in the quarter, and with 10 in the first half it seemed the milestone was within reach. Franklin Regional had 11 points in the second, spread among 4 scorers. Latrobe led 20-18 at halftime.

The Panthers came out with a 15-point effort in the third quarter, while Latrobe's scoring hit a wall. The Wildcats managed only 5 third-quarter points as Landon Butler encountered foul trouble and spent most of the quarter watching from the bench. Tyler Mondock was the only scorer for Latrobe in the third, cashing in on a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws. The Panthers took a 33-25 lead into the final frame.

The Panthers quickly opened a 12-point margin in the fourth, and Latrobe came back to cut it to 6 with under six minutes to play. But the Panthers wouldn't let them get any closer, as Cooper Rankin and Jake Kimmich combined to convert 9-of-13 free throws, and Max Leven added 6 points from the floor, and Franklin Regional claimed the 52-39 win.

Franklin Regional's Cooper Rankin led all scorers with 13, with Cam Rowell adding 12 and Max Leven 11 for the victors. Landon Butler finished with 12 points for the Wildcats.

Up next, Latrobe (4-7, 0-3) travels to Penn-Trafford for a section game on 1/13. Franklin Regional (9-3, 3-0) heads to Gateway for a battle of section unbeatens on 1/13.