Sewickley Academy’s boys basketball team held what appeared to be a precarious 24-20 halftime lead Feb. 1 against visiting Aliquippa.
The Panthers, however, roared past the Quips, 56-34, in the final game of the weekend at the Win Palmer Memorial Classic at Sewickley Academy.
“I thought our guys did a great job defending and rebounding,” Sewickley coach Mike Iuzzolino said. “We had to play defense for a long period on many possessions, and that isn’t always easy to do. Also, for the most part, we did not give up many second shots.”
The Class 2A top-ranked Panthers remained undefeated, improving to 17-0.
The Panthers’ halftime discussion?
“We talked a lot about winning the 50-50 balls,” Iuzzolino said. “We thought they were beating us to them, and we had to fight and scrap them out better.”
Twin towers Adam Ikamba, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, and Mamadou Kane, a 6-8 sophomore forward, scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, for Sewickley.
“Like I have said before, both continue to improve,” Iuzzolino said. “Adam finished at the rim extremely well and did an outstanding job protecting the rim and making it difficult on every shot they tried to take in the paint.
“Mamadou is really understanding that if he keeps the game simple and makes simple plays, he is very difficult to guard. He is such an unselfish player when he gets double teamed and helps get us a lot of open looks.”
Three other key contributors for the Panthers were Lucas Grimsley, Drew Steals and Ja’mere Guyton. One of the highlights of the game and season for Sewickley was Grimsley attaining his 1,000th career point.
“Really happy for Lucas,” Iuzzolino said. “He is a young man that has had an exceptional career at Sewickley Academy both on and off the floor and has matured into a great player and teammate.
“Drew Steals and Ja’mere are playing with an incredible edge on both sides of the ball. We all knew Drew was going to be playing at a high level from last year and to his credit, after a slow start, has really been playing great.
“Ja’mere over the last few games has separated himself and is receiving more playing time due to his activity and willingness to make all the little winning plays. We are so pleased and excited with his progress and contributions.”
Anthony Ingram had 11 points for Class 3A No. 2 Aliquippa, which fell to 12-3. The Quips had entered the contest riding a six-game winning streak.
Freshman sparks SA girls
Athena Ameredes led the Sewickley Academy girls basketball team to a 59-46 win Feb. 1 over Hopewell at the Win Palmer Memorial Classic.
Ameredes, a 5-5 freshman forward, finished with 19 points for the Panthers, who improved to 10-8 overall.
“Athena had a great game,” Sewickley coach Rob Shazer said. “She was knocking down shots in the short corner of their zone, and she was hustling all over the floor, diving after loose balls and fighting for rebounds inside.
“I love coaching her. She’s a fun kid to be around, always smiling. She’s out there flying around on both ends of the floor. She brings the energy and I love it.”
Mikaela Mbandi, a 6-foot freshman forward, also netted 11 points for Sewickley, which jumped out to a 21-9 first-quarter lead against the Vikings.
“I thought we came out playing hard especially on the defensive of end of the floor,” Shazer said. “Athena had a big game. She and Charlotte (Morton) caused a lot of disruption up top, and we got Mikela going early around the rim. And it always helps to have two more experienced players with Emma (Eannarino) and Grace (Jardini) to settle thing down when needed.
“We are playing great right now. We have been focusing on skill work the last month or so at practices, and it’s really showing up on the court. Our shooting percentage is up and our turnovers are down. I’m proud of all of their hard work; it’s fun to watch it all paying off for them.”
The Panthers battled through the flu the last few weeks, missing two starters in three games.
“Our bench gave us some great minutes,” Shazer said. “Caralena (Quisenberry), Lana (Spencer), Bella (Walsh), Renae (Phillip-Knight) and Nalani (Brayley) have been working hard all season and were ready when we needed them the most.
“I really appreciate those girls for accepting their roles on the team. They all have great attitudes and really helped us get through some tough situations late in the season. Our feisty freshmen are battle-tested and will be ready the moment that is never too big for them.”
Sewickley improved to 11-8 overall and has clinched a WPIAL Class A playoff berth.
“I expect that we’ll finish strong,” Shazer said. “We are a double-digit win team heading into the playoffs where anything can happen. We will continue to keep working to get better and give our best for a playoff run.
“I’m excited for the playoffs. Nobody believed we would have the season we are having right now. But we did, and we will be ready to go up against anyone.”
Hopewell dropped to 3-13.