Sewickley Academy boys hold off Ridgway in PIAA Class 2A second round

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 | 10:48 PM

Sewickley Academy, more accustomed to lighting up the scoreboard, had to prove it could win a slowdown game Wednesday night.

The defending Class 2A state champs, averaging 72.6 points, needed three free throws from sophomore Isiah Warfield in the last 47 seconds to eke out a 44-41 victory over Ridgway in a PIAA second-round boys basketball game at Armstrong.

The Panthers (23-4) move on to quarterfinal play Saturday against Jeannette at a time and site to be determined.

“A three-point victory, it's a victory, doesn't matter,” Sewickley Academy coach Win Palmer said. “At the state tournament, you're going to have tough games. I'm ecstatic, because I thought our guys did the right things down the stretch.”

Leading 33-31 at the end of three quarters, sophomore Isaiah Smith scored five points in the first 65 seconds of the fourth as the Panthers stretched their lead to 39-33.

But the Elkers (24-2), a state quarterfinalist last season, weren't going away quietly.

A steal by Johnny Mitchell and a drive the length of the court tied the score at 39 with 4 minutes, 11 seconds to go. Will Thompson rebounded a missed Sewickley shot with 3:53 to go, and Ridgway was content to play for a final shot.

“If they were going to let us,” Elkers coach Anthony Allegretto said when asked if the plan was to hold. “We weren't going to let them stand back and attack from there. We wanted to spread them out. We wanted them to attack, and then we'd look for the layup.”

But Neil McDonald was called for charging with 2:08 left, and then it was the Panthers' turn to run down the clock.

Johnny Mitchell fouled Warfield with 47.7 seconds left. Warfield converted the first free throw but missed the second. Mitchell gathered the rebound and Ridgway had a chance to win it.

But a pass off Smith's leg resulted in a scramble in the key. The second Warfield grabbed the ball, Palmer called a time out.

David Groetsch was then fouled and made both shots. Daunte Allegretto then made a pair of free throws for Ridgway with 10.7 seconds left. Another foul led to two more made free throws by Warfield. Josh Thorwart misfired on a 3-point attempt as time ran out.

“We didn't come to get close, we came to win,” coach Allegretto said. “Our kids played their hearts out and carried out the game plan. We needed just one more play, one more play.”

Sewickley Academy had scored 80 points or more eight times going into Wednesday's game.

“We played them about seven years ago, and they played the same style,” Palmer said. “I like playing against different styles, different types of players. It was a clean game and very well-officiated.”

Ridgway committed eight turnovers in the second quarter as Sewickley took control. But the Elkers turned the ball over just once in the third quarter as they mounted a comeback.

Smith led the Panthers with 14 points and Groetsch added 10. Will Nicito came off the bench to collect four important Sewickley rebounds.

Allegretto led the Elkers with 11 points, and Andy Breier had 10 before fouling out with 5:38 left in the third quarter.

George Guido is a freelance writer.