‘Oh my goodness!’ Dunk propels Jeannette boys past Sewickley in Class 2A semifinals
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Monday, February 24, 2025 | 10:12 PM
Jeannette’s Xavier Odorisio-Farrow dunks on Sewickley Academy’s 6-foot-8 Mamadou Kane during a WPIAL Class 2A semifinal Monday at Fox Chapel.
Jeannette’s Xavier Odorisio-Farrow defends on Sewickley Academy’s during a WPIAL Class 2A semifinal Monday at Fox Chapel.
Sewickley Academy’s Mamadou Kane and Nolan Donnelly block the shot of Jeannette’s Jayce Powell during a WPIAL Class 2A semifinal Monday at Fox Chapel.
Jeannette’s Markus McGowan defends on Sewickley Academy’s Adam Ikamba during a WPIAL Class 2A semifinal Monday at Fox Chapel.
Jeannette’s Xavier Odorisio-Farrow fouls Sewickley Academy’s Nolan Donnelly during 2A WPIAL semifinal action Monday, Feb. 24, 2025 at Fox Chapel Area High School.
Jeannette’s Lonnie Greene scores over Sewickley Academy’s Adam Ikamba during a WPIAL Class 2A semifinal Monday at Fox Chapel.
Jeannette’s Kymon’e Brown grabs a rebound and gets fouled by Sewickley Academy’s Amare Spencer during a WPIAL Class 2A semifinal Monday at Fox Chapel.
Jeannette celebrates with Xavier Odorisio-Farrow after dunking on Sewickley Academy’s Mamadou Kane during a WPIAL Class 2A semifinal Monday at Fox Chapel.
All the talk about Sewickley Academy’s height was canceled out by Jeannette’s post players in the WPIAL Class 2A semifinals.
Jeannette sent a message with one defining play: Xavier Odorisio-Farrow’s drive and slam over 6-foot-8 Mamadou Kane in the third quarter sent the crowd into a frenzy and helped send the Jayhawks back to the final.
The No. 3-seeded Jayhawks’ bigs came up big in a wire-to-wire 45-25 victory over No. 2 Sewickley Academy on Monday night at Fox Chapel.
“Nobody gave us a chance,” Odorisio-Farrow said. “We had nothing to lose.”
Jeannette (22-2) is finals-bound for the first time since 2015.
Here's tonight's posterizing dunk by Jeannette's Xavier Odorisio-Farrow.
3, 2, 1, takeoff.
Send it in, Jerome.
Video: @WestmorelandSN @NFHSNetwork@NFHS_Org@Jhawkathletics @XOdorisio @TribLiveHSSN pic.twitter.com/O6MPicafDw
— Bill Beckner (@BillBeckner) February 25, 2025
Forwards Odorisio-Farrow had 15 points and Lonnie Greene added 12 for the Jayhawks, who will play No. 8 Union (19-6) for the title at 5 p.m. Friday at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.
The Panthers’ 6-8 twin towers of Kane and Adam Ikamba combined for nine points against a chest-to-chest defense that rarely allowed the Panthers to run offensive sets.
“Our pressure was the key,” Jeannette coach Adrian Batts said. “We trapped them off the jump ball. We knew we had to get after them.”
Sewickley Academy (20-5) moves into the consolation bracket and play back for PIAA seeding. The Panthers are already in the state playoffs.
Kymon’e Brown added nine points for Jeannette, all from the foul line. He was 9 of 16.
The Jayhawks, who rallied from 16 down late in the third quarter to get past OLSH in the semifinals, had lost to the Panthers in the 2016, ’17 and ’19 semifinals.
They didn’t need a comeback this time as they cruised from the jump.
“We wanted to speed them up as much as we could,” Batts said. “Odorisio was lights out. Lonnie gave us great minutes. (Noah) Sunder guarded so well.”
Sewickley Academy was looking to return to the title game for the first time since 2018. The Panthers hadn’t made the semifinals since 2019 when the late Win Palmer coached them.
Jeannette led 8-4 after a physical opening quarter that saw both teams reach the bonus.
The lead moved to 21-9 at the half as Jeannette held the Panthers to two first-half field goals. Sewickley Academy made just 5 of 14 free throws before the break.
Sewickley Academy had a better third quarter but still trailed 32-28 after three.
Kane fouled out with 8.6 seconds left in the quarter.
Odorisio-Farrow’s dunk and free throw gave Jeannette a 24-10 advantage early in the third.
“Oh my goodness,” Jeannette guard Jayce Powell said of the dunk.
Odorisio-Farrow said the posterizing play was all instinctive.
“I was on the wing, and I heard coach Batts say, go by him,” Odorisio-Farrow said. “I went up and dunked it.”
Brown made two free throws to make it 26-10. After a three-point play by Nolan Donnelly, Greene scored inside to make it 31-16.
In the fourth, Powell made a 3 from the corner to stamp out a mild run and give Jeannette a 37-21 lead with 5:35 left.
Tempers flared briefly as Brown and Sewickley’s Lucas Grimsley were charged with technical fouls at the 5:08 mark of the fourth.
Jeannette stayed comfortably ahead, though, to advance.
The Jayhawks made 18 of 27 free throws. The Panthers made 12 of 24.
“It feels awesome to prove everybody wrong,” Odorisio-Farrow said. “We needed to make a statement.”
Ikamba led the Panthers with eight points.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Jeannette, Sewickley Academy
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