PIAA Class 2A boys basketball semifinal preview: Greensburg Central Catholic vs. Sewickley Academy

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, March 21, 2025 | 11:01 AM

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PIAA basketball playoffs

Class 2A

Semifinals

Greensburg Central Catholic (26-3) vs. Sewickley Academy (23-5)

Noon Saturday at AHN Arena, Peters Township

Winner plays: Winner of 3-2 Linville Hill (22-5)/4-1 Northwest Area (26-3) in championship game at 2 p.m. March 28 at Giant Center, Hershey

District seeds: Greensburg Central Catholic 7-5; Sewickley Academy 7-3

Coaches: Christian Hyland, Greensburg Central Catholic (6th year); Mike Iuzzolino, Sewickley Academy (1st year)

Players to watch: Brady O’Rourke, Greensburg Central Catholic; Lucas Grimsley, Sewickley Academy

Average points for/allowed: Greensburg Central Catholic 64.2/43.1; Sewickley Academy 56.5/37.6

Layup lines: This is the WPIAL finals matchup that did not come to fruition. Greensburg Central Catholic was the No. 1 seed in the district, and Sewickley Academy was No. 2. GCC was upset by Union, 44-42, in the quarterfinals, and Sewickley Academy fell to Jeannette, 45-25, in the semifinals. … Both teams have rekindled momentum in the PIAA bracket. GCC made a strong defensive effort stand up in a 46-35 win over rival Jeannette in the quarterfinals as Samir Crosby scored 13 points and AJ Tarpley added 12. The Centurions made 18 of 31 free throws. … GCC played in the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2017 and now will tackle the semifinals, a round they have not reached since 2014. Hyland was a senior on that team. The Centurions made the state finals in 2011 when Hyland was a freshman. … Liam Gallagher is a dangerous shooter who made 6 of 8 3-pointers in a 66-52 second-round win over Neshannock. Another guard, 6-5 Brady O’Rourke, is a Saint Vincent commit. … Crosby didn’t play basketball last year as he prepared for football. He has numerous Division I scholarship offers. Tarpley joined GCC this year after playing his freshman season at Greensburg Salem. GCC beat McConnellsburg, 54-43, in the state first round. GCC is chasing its first state title in boys basketball. … This is the first PIAA appearance for Sewickley Academy since 2019. It last made the semifinals in 2018, losing to OLSH, 70-68, in overtime. The Panthers didn’t make the state playoffs last year after losing to Jeannette in the WPIAL first round. In 2023, they went 3-18 and went 3-13 in 2022. … Sewickley Academy’s state wins have come against 5-2 Windber (64-36), 10-1 Lakeview (56-35) and 7-6 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (42-35). Against OLSH, Nolan Donnelly had 14 points and Mamadou Kane added 13. Kane and Adam Ikamba both stand 6-foot-8. Donnelly and Grimsley are 6-2 guards. … The Panthers are a young team with no seniors in the starting five. Iuzzolino was a standout guard at Altoona and played at Penn State and Saint Francis before a short NBA stint with the Dallas Mavericks. His son, Mike, plays basketball at Saint Vincent. … The Panthers have three state titles, in 1997 (Class A), 2010 (A) and ’17 (2A), the latter two with longtime coach Win Palmer, who died in 2023. They were a runner-up in 2004. In ’97, they defeated Schuykill Haven in the finals, 52-45. They beat Reading Central Catholic in ’10, 43-35, and topped Constitution, 68-63, in ’17.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg C.C., Sewickley Academy