Unfortunately due to foul trouble throughout the game, Metzger’s impact was limited again and Johnstown won its fourth straight District 6 crown with a 66-44 triumph.

“It’s hard when you depend on (senior forward) Ben (Zimmerman) and Kasen to be able to switch one through five, and they are both out with two fouls early in the game,” Hollidaysburg coach Brad Lear said.

Despite Zimmerman and Metzger being on the bench, two free throws by Wyatt Frazier and a 3-pointer by Jayden Wolfe just before halftime cut Johnstown’s lead to 33-28.

But the Trojans opened the second half with a 3-pointer by Amier Robinson, who led all scorers with 26 points.

02/20/26 Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / Hollidaysburg's Wyatt Frazier is pressured by Greater Johnstown's Amier Robinson.

“We rebounded a little bit and came back and had it at five at halftime,” Lear said. “We were feeling good at halftime. We came out and got a stop, but they got an offensive rebound and hit a 3-pointer.”

Hollidaysburg trailed by just seven late in the third quarter, but Metzger picked up his fourth foul with 2:22 to play in the third, and the Trojans ended the quarter on an 8-2 run capped by a Robinson layup at the buzzer.

Robinson said he got a good luck text from ex-teammate and current Boston University player Donte Tisinger before the game.

“It’s a nice feeling,” Robinson said. “He basically handed off the (leadership) role to me. He texted me before the game and told me we had to get this for him. I told him — ‘I got you.'”

Johnstown had a tough stretch in the middle of the season with losses to Bishop Guilfoyle Academy, Penn Cambria and the tight overtime win against Hollidaysburg but closed out the regular season strong.

“Everything turned around after the Penn Cambria loss,” Robinson said. “We had that dud against Penn Cambria and struggled to win the (regular season) Hollidaysburg game. We did a great job resetting and getting back into it.”

This is the second-best stretch of basketball for Johnstown next to its five-straight District 6 Class 3A titles from 2009-2013.

“We were so disciplined, so detail-oriented in everything we did,” Johnstown coach Ryan Durham said. “Hollidaysburg is a really good team. To put on the performance we did today, I’m very proud of our guys.”

Kemmett Armstrong added 12 points for the Trojans, which ended the regular season with seven straight wins — including over Forest Hills and Westmont Hilltop.

“We had a ton of injuries,” Durham said. “It was to the point where we were just playing guys in games, and they weren’t even practicing. The rust and trying to get to continuity with all these different starting lineups was tough. We were just trying to get healthy for this time of year and strive for these moments. We’re rounding into shape and looking forward to the next stretch.”

Johnstown will take on the winner of a subregional game between the District 10 and District 9 champion on Friday, Feb. 27 for seeding into the PIAA tournament, which begins Friday, March 6.

Frazier led Hollidaysburg with 10 points off the bench.

The Golden Tigers lose Metzger — one of the top players in the area — to graduation.

“Kasen’s impact on this program — you can measure it in wins, and it looks really good,” Lear said. “But it’s more than just wins. He’s such a good kid and has all the support in the world at home. He’s a great offensive player. He can score every time he gets the basketball, and his relationship with the team — to last year’s senior class and to this year’s junior and sophomore class — it tied the whole program together and makes such an impact on the game.”

Fellow seniors Wolfe, Zimmerman, Landen McDade and Jacob Meakens will also graduate.

“Most five-men sit in the paint and guard the big,” Lear said. “We have Ben out there guarding their point guard and shooting guard. He might not score 15 points a game, but he gets 10 rebounds, and he’s another one that is a great kid with a great family. Jayden is the same way. He accepted his role going from a starter to a sixth man. He came in and was one of the catalysts in the game at Johnstown that sent the game into overtime. All our seniors have helped immensely.”

The Golden Tigers have not won a District 6 title since 2018 despite being consistently one of the best teams in the area.

“We had been shooting the ball really well during our nine-day layoff,” Lear said. “But Johnstown is really handsy, and they allowed us to play tonight. That’s not our style, and it is their style. This is the hump we just can’t get over. It seems like every year we just run into somebody that is just a little better than we are, and we don’t play our best in these district finals.”

JOHNSTOWN (66): Am. Robinson 11 3-4 26, Ashcom 4 0-0 9, Braswell 3 0-0 6, M. Armstrong 3 0-0 7, K. Armstrong 5 1-4 12, Au. Robinson 2 0-0 6, O. Dudley 0 0-0 0, Hill 0 0-0 0, D. Dudley 0 0-0 0, Lee 0 0-0 0. Totals — 28 4-8 66.

HOLLIDAYSBURG (44): Albarano 3 1-2 7, Stultz 4 0-0 8, Delerme 0 0-0 0, Metzger 1 5-6 8, Zimmerman 3 0-0 6, Wolfe 2 0-0 5, Frazier 3 3-4 10, Padamonsky 0 0-0 0, Rhodes 0 0-0 0, McDade 0 0-0 0, Miller 0 0-0 0, Steiner 0 0-0 0. Totals — 16 9-12 44.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Johnstown 18 15 18 15 — 66

Hollidaysburg 13 15 10 6 — 44

3-point goals: Johnstown 6 (Am. Robinson, Ashcom, M. Armstrong, K. Armstrong, Au. Robinson 2); Hollidaysburg 3 (Frazier, Wolfe, Metzger).

Records: Johnstown (17-4); Hollidaysburg (18-5).

Officials: Dave Pray, Steve Searer, John Thompson.