Constitution boys come up just short in 2A state hoops final
HERSHEY - When Constitution delivered several heavy blows to Sewickley Academy early on, it looked as if the Generals were on the way to claiming their fourth state championship in seven seasons.
HERSHEY - When Constitution delivered several heavy blows to Sewickley Academy early on, it looked as if the Generals were on the way to claiming their fourth state championship in seven seasons.
But Rob Moore's squad allowed the Panthers to make up ground in Friday afternoon's PIAA Class 2A final, force an extra four minutes of action and leave the Giant Center with their second crown in eight seasons and third overall.
Sewickley, switching their defensive schemes to counter Constitution's fast-paced attack and consistently getting to the foul line, downed the heartbroken Generals, 68-63, in overtime.
Sparked by the inspired play of 6-foot-6 senior Maurice Waters, the Generals raced to a 16-4 advantage in the first quarter.
Said Sewickley coach Win Palmer: "We said to the kids during a timeout, 'Look, we're nervous. We'll get through it. We'll be fine.' "
Waters notched 12 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in the opening eight minutes. "I just kept giving him the ball," Constitution senior guard Tamir Green said. "I saw he was ready from the jump."
The Panthers responded with a 10-0 run that trimmed the gap to 16-14. Soon after, an 8-0 spurt that was capped by Justin Pryor's putback gave the District 7 champs their first lead at 22-21.
Raquon West's three-point play, Hakim Hudson's driving layup and Hudson's right-corner three-pointer put the Generals ahead, 31-23, at intermission.
Sewickley held Waters, who finished with 19 points and 11 boards, scoreless in the second and fourth quarters. They did the same in overtime.
"They made great adjustments to stop our penetration and make sure Maurice didn't get any wide-open layups," Moore said. "It forced our guards to make more plays."
Green ignited Constitution in the latter stages, netting 19 of his 21 points after intermission. His back-to-back treys from up top provided the Generals (20-10) with a 57-51 lead with just under 4 minutes to play.
Green's fastbreak layup made it 59-53 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining. "When Maurice got in foul trouble, I had to step up and assert myself more on offense," he said.
Nate Ridgeway's three-point play and Dave Groetsch's right-wing trey with 1:10 remaining evened things. Green's left-side jumper at the end of regulation was off the mark.
In a contest that featured 11 ties and five lead changes, the Panthers (25-4) converted 18 of 26 free throws. The Generals made only two of their nine freebies.
"You can't win every single time you get here," Moore said. "The kids don't understand that right now, but they will."
Sewickley 7 16 20 16 9 - 68
Constitution 16 15 12 16 4 - 63
SA: Chris Groetsch 8, Dave Groetsch 3, Declan Hickton 7, Nate Ridgeway 16, Justin Pryor 21, Isiah Warfield 7, Isaiah Smith 4, Teddy McCleain 2.
C: Tamir Green 21, Youssef Diabate 2, Keshaun Hammonds 2, Hakim Hudson 7, Maurice Waters 19, Raquon West 5, Tyree Mitchell 3, Abdul Riggins 2, Jahmir Williams 2.
@ozoneinq