Sports
Mustangs Defeat Latrobe In Playoff Battle
Plum held off Latrobe 53-51 in the last minutes of Saturday's game and will advance to face first-seed Shaler.
The Plum boys basketball team survived a furious last-minute comeback by Latrobe to prevail 53-51 in the WPIAL preliminary round of the playoffs on Saturday.
The Mustangs held a double digit lead in the fourth quarter, but converted only nine of their 20 foul shots.
Latrobe senior Christopher Dudzenski missed a three-pointer from just inside half court at the buzzer, however, allowing Plum to advance to face number one seed Shaler.
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Nolan Cressler scored a game-high 29 points, and Tarique Ellis contributed 11 points for the Mustangs before he fouled out late in the fourth quarter. Douglas Johnson led the attack for Latrobe, scoring 14 points.
Plum’s struggles down the stretch were surprising, as the Mustangs as a team shoot 76 percent from the line on the season.
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“This is the best free throw shooting team I have ever coached," said Plum Head Coach Ron Richards.
"I told the team the entire fourth quarter we were either going to be shooting layups or foul shots. We did a very good job handling everything except making our foul shots. But we did enough to hold on.”
Plum played with the lead for the last 23 minutes of the contest, as back-to-back three-pointers by Kenny Kruszka and Anthony Garofalo to begin the second quarter keyed a 12-2 run for the Mustangs.
After the Mustangs held a seven point advantage at the half, Cressler shouldered the scoring burden, scoring 18 of his team’s 27 points.
Latrobe began cutting into the deficit in the final three minutes, however, as it capitalized on Plum’s foul shooting woes.
Ellis then committed his fifth foul with just under two minutes remaining, and Latrobe responded by making a pair of shots from behind the arc.
Richards realized how much Ellis means to his squad.
“We need him in the game," he said. "Two of his fouls were nearly 94 from our basket, but he’s young and will learn from it. We will need him on the court to have a chance against Shaler.”
Plum now must prepare for its toughest opponent of the season as Shaler comes into the matchup on Wednesday with a record of 21-1.
The neutral site location of the game has yet to be determined.
