Another Sickenberger game-winner propels Latrobe

Ryan Sickenberger sat on a bench in a jubilant locker room, with his head in his hands. Something was wrong.

“I lost my voice for a little,” Sickenberger said, before catching his breath, “just from yelling after the game.”

If game-winning shots are reason to shout, then Sickenberger should be used to the yelling.

Sickenberger made some more noise Tuesday night as he was the hero for Latrobe again. He made his third game-winning shot of the season, and this one gave Latrobe a 61-59 victory against host Thomas Jefferson in a WPIAL Class 5A first-round game.

Sickenberger’s first two game winners came on lastsecond shots. This one came a little earlier, but it was still the dagger to Thomas Jefferson’s season. Thomas Jefferson came in with an 18-4 record and the No. 7 seed for the playoffs.

Latrobe trailed by 59- 57 when Sickenberger, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, scored on a three-point play with 43.4 seconds left. Latrobe’s final point came on a free throw by Landon Butler with 10 seconds left.

“It’s a great win,” Sickenberger said.

Latrobe came into the game with a 7-6 record and the No. 11

seed, but the Wildcats had won three of the past four.

“It’s a huge program win,” Latrobe coach Brad Wetzel said. “We had a poor season last year, lost our leading scorer and leading rebounder. I think everybody just said it’s going to be three or four years before you hear from these guys again.

“But these guys have just played their hearts and souls out. I know it might not be pretty to watch, but they’re fun to coach. They work. They stuck their nose in there against this [Thomas Jefferson] team. That’s a physical team.”

Sickenberger stuck his nose in an open area near the basket in the final minute, and Drew Clair gave him a nice pass. Sickenberger then got to the basket and made a layup while fouled.

After Butler’s free throw made it a three-point game, Thomas Jefferson called a timeout. The Jaguars had 10 seconds to go the length of the court, but they couldn’t get a good shot, and Ian Hansen’s off- balance 3pointer from the left wing was off the mark.

Sickenberger finished with 16 points. Frank Newill, a 6- 3 senior, led Latrobe with 17 points, and 6-2 sophomore Landon Butler added 11.

Latrobe starts basically five guards, and the Wildcats had some trouble dealing with 6-6 senior forward Ethan Dunsey, who scored 22 points. Dunsey scored 18 points in the first three quarters, but he didn’t score in the final four minutes, and Thomas Jefferson shot only 25% from the field in the final quarter.

Hansen added 14 points for Thomas Jefferson, and freshman guard Evan Berger had 11. Berger’s 3pointer with 2:14 left gave Thomas Jefferson a 59-57 lead with 2:14 remaining. But the Jaguars didn’t score again.

The win gets Latrobe a quarterfinal game against No. 2 seed New Castle. Latrobe is undoubtedly an underdog, but these ’Cats have been ’ dogs a lot lately.

“They’ve found a whole new gear,” Wetzel said. “I would say it started against McKeesport [in early February]. We may have had a little misstep here and there since then, but these guys just keep getting stronger and more confident. They’re a fun bunch. I’m enjoying the heck out of this.”

Especially Sickenberger’s late shots.