Knoch boys basketball solves Latrobe’s physicality in win at Plum Holiday Tournament
PLUM — Knoch boys basketball’s ability to run its winning streak to five games against Latrobe was going to depend largely on the team’s ability to do one thing.
“They’re a big, strong team. Some of their guys look like football players,” Knoch senior Vinnie DeFelice said. “We needed to match their physicality.”
Though the Wildcats remained within striking distance until late, Knoch led throughout a 54-46 victory Friday at the Plum Holiday Tournament.
The Knights (6-2) led 16-9 after one quarter and 27-21 at halftime. Latrobe pulled to within 33-32 with three minutes left in the third quarter, but Knoch’s 7-0 spurt gave the Knights breathing room and they never allowed the Wildcats to take the lead or tie the game over the final 11 minutes of the game.
Teegan Finucan’s trey with 7:14 left in the game, and his layup along with another from Derek Lang later in the fourth period, helped keep Latrobe at bay.
“It’s all about defense and I thought we did well with it at times tonight,” Knoch coach Joe Lafko said. “We forced some turnovers late and got points in transition. At other times, I guess you can chalk it up to the Christmas holiday.”
Latrobe senior wing Ian DeCerb, at 6-foot-4, is one of the physical players DeFelice referred to. He scored 15 points in the first half, but was held scoreless and missed all four of his attempts from the field in the final two quarters.
“That’s a problem we need to solve,” Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel said. “Ian is averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds per game, but we need him to contribute to the scoring for all four quarters.”
Lafko said of defending DeCerb, who spent two and a half minutes on the bench in the third quarter after picking up his third foul, “We went over some things at halftime and focused on details with our defense.”
Finucan led all scorers with 20 points, and DeFelice added 13.
Andy Tatsch tallied 14 points, including 10 in the second half, in defeat for Latrobe (3-6).
The Knights have not allowed more than 46 points to any opponent during their current win streak.
“We’re holding teams to fewer points than they’re used to scoring,” DeFelice said. “We are defending and rebounding well. If we can continue to do that, we should be successful.”
Knoch closes out play in the Plum Tournament on Saturday against the host Mustangs.
LATROBE 46
Michael Monios 3 3-4 9, Dom Scarton 1 0-0 2, Andy Tatsch 7 0-0 14, Sawyer Butina 1 0-0 2, Ian DeCerb 6 0-0 15, Bobby Young 2 0-0 4, Rylan Linhart 0 0-4 0, Alex Amond 0 0-0 0, Owen Teslevich 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 3-8 46.
KNOCH 54
Derek Lang 1 3-4 5, Roman DeFelice 2 2-4 7, Teegan Finucan 7 4-6 20, Liam Avon 3 3-4 9, Vinnie DeFelice 6 1-2 13, Jackson McCool 0 0-0 0. Totals: 19 13-20 54.
Latrobe 9 12 13 12 — 46
Knoch 16 11 13 14 — 54
3-point goals: Latrobe 3 (DeCerb 3); Knoch 3 (Finucan 2, R.DeFelice).
Saturday: Knoch at Plum
