Panthers find way to victory
Sewickley Academy stops OLSH’s late charge after blowing big lead
A team of Panthers finally won a game at Petersen Events Center this year.
Sewickley Academy recovered after blowing a 21point lead, made some clutch free throws in the final minute and beat Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 6359, Friday to capture consecutive WPIAL Class 2A championships.
The Panthers (21-4) won their fifth title by turning back Section 3 rival OLSH (22-3) for the second time in three meetings this season. The Panthers also topped OLSH in the WPIAL championship a year ago before going on to win the PIAA title.
OLSH, which at one point trailed, 29-8, tied the score at 47-47 on freshman Dante Spadafora’s layup and free throw with 5:21 left in the fourth quarter. Spadafora, who scored six points the first three quarters, tallied 10 consecutive points for the Chargers to start the fourth.
“Dante got hot. He had taken those same shots in the first half and they weren’t falling as much, but we have confidence in him, so he took those shots in the second half and they started falling,” OLSH coach Mike Rodriguez said.
Its lead gone, Sewickley Academy needed a big basket and got it from sophomore Isiah Warfield, whose layup with 5:07 left helped the Panthers regain the lead, one they would not relinquish. A huge reason for that was the team’s stellar work at the free-throw line. Warfield, Isaiah Smith and Dave Groetsch went a combined 7 of 8 from the line in the final 1:02.
“When skilled players are at the free-throw line, I believe in them,” Sewickley Academy coach Win Palmer said.
Groetsch made two free throws with 19 seconds left to give Sewickley Academy a 62-59 lead. Seeking the equalizer, OLSH’s Donovan Johnson unleashed a 3pointer from the wing with 11 seconds left, but misfired. Sewickley Academy grabbed the rebound, and Smith converted 1 of 2 free throws to seal the win.
“Normally, he makes those things and [he] felt bad afterwards,” Rodriguez said. “But I said, ‘Hey, we got the shot we wanted. Sometimes, it goes in and sometimes it doesn’t.’ I have the utmost confidence that the next time he takes it, he buries it.”
As they have been all season, both teams were extremely balanced offensively and had four players score in double figures.
Smith scored a gamehigh 19 points and Sewickley Academy also got 15 points from Nate Ridgeway, 13 from Groetsch and 11 from Warfield.
Spadafora led OLSH with 16 points, while Ricco Tate added 14 points — he also grabbed 14 rebounds — Johnson 13 and Austin Wigley 10.
When two of the top three teams in the state square off, one would figure it would be a great game, right?
The first two meetings were decided by two and five points. This one appeared to be turning into a laugher when Sewickley Academy took a 21-point lead when Ridgeway knocked down a 3-pointer with 6:17 left in the second quarter. But OLSH decided to make a game of it. Trailing, 32-12, the Chargers closed the first half on a 15-0 run to pull within 32-27 after Wigley hit a deep 3-pointer and sank two free throws.
“We went out to a big lead, and they fought their way back. I give them a lot of credit,” Groetsch said. “We believed in each other. We all knew that we’d be fine. We just needed to get back to our game. We just got back toteam basketball.”
Sewickley Academy reasserted itself in the third quarter, and, despite, Spadafora’s run to start the fourth, the Panthers remained calm and again claimed the WPIAL gold.