Sewickley Academy defeated Jeannette in the WPIAL Class 2A boys basketball championship game Feb. 27 at Petersen Events Center.
The Panthers did not play again until March 7 when they zipped past Saegertown, 65-25, at home in the PIAA first round.
“I think we were a little rusty in the beginning,” Sewickley coach Mike Iuzzolino said. “Eventually, we found our legs.”
After the visitors scored the game’s first bucket, Sewickley reeled off 10 consecutive points in a two-minute span, went ahead 18-4 and ended the first quarter with a 20-8 lead.
Saegertown was unable to mount any kind of an offensive threat the rest of the way as Sewickley’s suffocating defense limited the visitors to four points in the second quarter, seven in the third and six in the fourth.
Sewickley, which improved to 26-1, put on a rebounding clinic against the shorter Saegertown players.
The Panthers held a 42-12 halftime advantage then gained a 23-13 scoring edge in the second half when the WPIAL mercy rule was applied with a running clock.
Nine Sewickley players reached the scoring column, led by 6-foot-5 senior guard Lucas Grimsley’s game-high 14 points and 6-foot sophomore guard Drew Steals’ 10. Steals did all his scoring in the first half.
“I thought we played a really solid game overall,” Grimsley said. “Saegertown is a well-coached team and they compete hard, so we knew we had to bring energy and focus from the start.
“I’m proud of the way our group defended and shared the ball. In the playoffs, every possession matters, and I think our team did a good job staying disciplined and trusting each other.”
Also contributing to the Panthers’ offense were 6-8 sophomore forward Mamadou Kane with eight points, 6-8 junior forward Adam Ikamba, 5-8 senior guard Caiden Battles and 6-5 freshman guard Eric Craciun with seven apiece.
The trio of 6-4 sophomore forwards Ja’mere Guyton and 6-5 Rob Southall and 6-2 senior forward Amare Spencer added the finishing touches, combining for 12 points.
Sewickley connected 10 times from 3-point range with Grimsley, a 1,000-point career scorer, tossing in four long-distance shots. Steals and Kane dropped in two apiece.
“I’m really proud of this group and what we’ve accomplished this season,” Grimsley said. “Our coaches have done a great job preparing us and our teammates have bought into playing for each other.
“We’ve also had great support from the Sewickley community and our student section, which means a lot to us as players.”
Saegertown’s leading scorers were senior forward Luke Young with nine points and junior forward Jackson Scott with eight. Both Young and Scott eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone in career scoring this season.
Saegertown ended its season with a 21-5 record.
Sewickley returned to PIAA tournament action March 11 and defeated Port Allegany, 76-29, in the second round at Penn West Clarion. The Panthers advanced to the quarterfinals March 14 and were to play 27-1 McConnellsburg.
Port Allegany (20-9) was the third-place team representing District 9.
“We know that anyone still playing at this point in the season is good,” Grimsley said prior to the game. “We respect Port Allegany as an opponent, but we’re mostly focused on continuing to play Sewickley basketball.
“Our focus is preparing the right way by watching film, locking in defensively, and making sure we execute our game plan.”
Kane scored a game-high 16 points against Port Allegany and Steals added 13.
District 5 champion McConnellsburg rolled past Clairton, the WPIAL’s fourth-place team, in the second round March 11 at Pitt-Johnstown, winning by a 61-30.
Clairton finished 19-6 overall. The Bears were 16-4 during the regular season after starting out 8-0 and 14-1.