2025 PIAA Class 2A boys basketball championship breakdown: Sewickley Academy vs. Linville Hill

By: Chris Harlan
Friday, March 28, 2025 | 11:16 AM

PIAA Class 2A boys basketball final

Sewickley Academy vs. Linville Hill

2 p.m. Friday, Giant Center, Hershey

On the air: NFHS Network

PIAA titles: Sewickley Academy 3 (1997, 2010, 2017), Linville Hill 0

Sewickley Academy (26-2)

Coach: Mike Iuzzolino

Projected starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Yr., Pos.

2, Caiden Battles, 5-8, jr., G

3, Amare Spencer, 6-2, jr., F

4, Lucas Grimsley, 6-2, jr., G

33, Nolan Donnelly, 6-2, sr., F

50, Mamadou Kane, 6-8, fr., C

How they got here: Sewickley Academy defeated Windber, 64-36, in the first round; Lakeview, 56-35, in the second round; Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 42-35, in the quarterfinals; and Greensburg Central Catholic, 52-48, in the semifinals.

Notable: Sewickley Academy qualified for the state playoffs as the third-place team from the WPIAL. … The Panthers had the stingiest defense in the WPIAL allowing only 37.9 points per game. … They average 56.4 points on offense. … Grimsley leads the team in scoring at 10.3 ppg. Grimsley and Kane scored 17 points each in the semifinals. … Six different players have finished a game as the team’s leading scorer. … This is Iuzzolino’s first year as coach. A former NBA player with the Dallas Mavericks, he spent the spent the previous eight seasons on the Robert Morris men’s basketball staff, including three years as associate head coach. … Sewickley Academy makes its fourth appearance in the finals.

Linville Hill (23-5)

Coach: Mike Schatzmann

Projected starting lineup

No., Name, Ht., Yr., Pos.

0, Giovanni Sejuste, 6-2, sr., F

1, Drew Tibbins, 5-11, jr., G

11, Jerome Stoltzfus, 6-2, sr., G

22, Derien Peterseim, 6-1, sr., G

32, Stephen Smucker, 6-1, sr., F

How they got here: Linville Hill defeated Marian Catholic, 77-42, in the first round; Constitution, 66-52, in the second round; Old Forge, 75-63, in the quarterfinals; and Northwest, 68-43, in the semifinals.

Notable: Linville Hill qualified for states as the District 3 runner-up. … The private school from near Lancaster is making its first appearance in the state finals. Its girls team also qualified for this year’s finals (Class A). … Linville Hill averages 66.8 points per game and has three scorers averaging double figures: Smucker (14.5 ppg), Sejuste (14.5) and Peterseim (12.5). … Sejuste is the team’s top rebounder at 7.5 rpg. … The Warriors were the No. 1 seed in the District 3 playoffs before losing to York Catholic, 48-46, in the finals. … The team’s defense allows 45.8 points per game. … Linville Hill didn’t have a high school until 2016.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Sewickley Academy