HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) - Able to shrug off a slow start - and even a late shot in regulation - Sewickley Academy collared a 68-63 victory in overtime over Constitution in the PIAA’s Class 2A boys basketball championship Friday at Hershey’s Giant Center.
Justin Pryor collected 14 of his 21 points in the second half as Win Palmer’s fundamentally sound Panthers, down 16-4 early and 31-23 at the break, dug in and played the Philadelphia-based Generals nose up down the stretch.
Nate Ridgeway also had a big second half for Sewickley Academy (25-4), banking 14 of his 16 points after the break. Ridgeway and Pryor also combined for seven of the nine points the Panthers scored in the extra session.
Palmer’s Panthers, trailing by three late in regulation, pulled even at 59-all when David Groetsch buried a trey with just over a minute to play. Constitution worked the clock down and took a timeout before electric lead guard Tamir Green shot a contested 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation that would not drop.
Green finished with 21 points to lead Robert Moore’s Generals (19-10), who last captured a state championship in 2015. Green had 19 points in the second half.
Maurice Waters, whose early play staked Constitution to a 16-4 lead late in the opening quarter, added 19 points and 11 rebounds. By the time the first media timeout arrived midway through the first quarter, Waters had eight points and five boards.
While Sewickley Academy was able to even the score (23-23) late in the opening half, an 8-0 spurt at the close of the second quarter had Constitution up 31-23.
Once a Chris Groetsch trey gave Sewickley its first lead (34-33) near the midway point of the third quarter, the game swung back and forth the rest of the way.
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Sewickley Academy 68, Constitution 63 (OT)
Sewickley Academy (25-4) 68
David Groetsch 1 0-0 3; Declan Hickton 2 2-2 7; Chris Groetsch 3 0-2 8; Justin Pryor 8 4-6 21; Nate Ridgeway 4 8-10 16; Isiah Warfield 2 3-4 7; Isaiah Smith 1 1-2 4; Teddy McClain 1 0-0 2. Totals: 22 18-26 68.
3-point goals: C.Groetsch 2, D.Groetsch, Hickton, Pryor, Smith.
Did not score: None.
Constitution (19-10) 63
Tamir Green 9 0-2 21; Keshaun Hammonds 1 0-0 2; Raquon West 2 1-1 5; Maurice Waters 9 1-3 19; Youssef Diabate 1 0-0 2; Hakim Hudson 3 0-1 7; Tyree Mitchell 1 0-0 3; Jahmir Williams 1 0-0 2; Abdul Riggins 1 0-2 2. Totals: 28 2-9 63.
3-point goals: Green 3, Hudson, Mitchell.
Did not score: Jamaal Brown, Leeron Wills-Worthy.
Score by quarters
Sewickley Academy’7’16’20’16’9 - 68
Constitution’16’15’12’16’4 - 63
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