Latrobe ruins Trinity’s opener
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter TrinityþÄôs Joe Koroly tries to shoot during the second half of the game against Latrobe on Friday, December 9.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter TrinityþÄôs Dylan Kern loses control of the ball to Latrobe during the first half of Friday nightþÄôs game. Latrobe won 69-48.
Surely this was not the start Trinity boys basketball coach Tim Tessmer had in mind.
The Hillers, looking to build off a Class AAAA playoff appearance last season, faced a tall order in the first round of the Blue and Gold Tip Off Tournament: a Latrobe squad coming off a 22-win season last year.
That task proved to be too much for Trinity as Latrobe rolled to a 69-48 win in the first round of the tournament at Canon-McMillan High School Friday night.
Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel said he was quite pleased with his team’s ability to rebound on offense and defend, especially in the first half.
“I thought we did a real nice job getting second and third shots at the beginning of the game,” Wetzel added. “Our rotations were real tight defensively in the first half. But we did get a bit sloppy in the fourth quarter.”
Trinity scored 20 points in the final quarter, but not until the Wildcats breezed to a 57-28 third quarter advantage.
“That was a real dud we laid out there,” Tessmer said. “Not much you can take out of this one.”
Latrobe took control early, grabbing a 17-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Wildcats held Trinity to one field goal and forced six turnovers.
“I’m not sure if you heard me too well, but I kept yelling, ‘stuck, stuck’ because we did not move the ball well at all,” Tessmer added. “Give credit to Latrobe, they are a real good basketball team.”
The Wildcats took a 40-17 lead into the locker room at the half and cruised from there. They will face Canon-McMillan, a winner over Eden Christian Academy last night, for the tournament title today.
Austin Butler and Jake Biss paced the Wildcats with 18 points apiece and Bryce Butler added 10.
“We’ve got some seniors like Jake and Austin that we expect a lot of,” Wetzel said. “Austin is a real strong player. He’s much stronger than he was last year and that is to be expected from a senior like him.”
Jaden Nelson led the Hillers with nine points.
“We’ve got some work to do; that is for sure,” Tessmer added. “We looked real good in practice leading up to tonight. I guess it did not translate.”