If you spent any time following the WPIAL this winter, you knew the Sewickley Academy Panthers weren’t just playing for a trophy: they were playing to erase a memory. After last year’s state final ended in a gut-wrenching one-point loss, Coach Mike Iuzzolino’s squad returned this season with a chip on their shoulder the size of the Allegheny County Courthouse.
On Friday in Hershey, they finally finished the story.
Photo courtesy of timesonline.com
The Interior Force
Throughout the 2025-2026 campaign, the narrative around the Panthers was their sheer physicality. In a Class 2A landscape where most teams are lucky to have one kid over 6’3, Sewickley trotted out a frontline that looked more like a D1 mid-major. Mamadou Kane and Adam Ikamba, both standing 6’8, didn’t just provide height; they provided a psychological wall.
Opposing guards spent most of the season driving into the paint only to realize there was nowhere to go. That defensive identity was on full display in the PIAA Championship against Old Forge. While the Blue Devils tried to keep it a scrappy, low-scoring affair, the Panthers’ length turned every entry pass into a turnover.
A Masterclass in Poise
The championship game wasn’t always a blowout. There were moments in the second quarter where Old Forge looked like they might make a run, clawing back within striking distance. But this Sewickley team showed the kind of veteran poise that only comes from losing on the big stage the year before.
Senior guard Lucas Grimsley acted as the steady hand, settling the offense and hitting timely jumpers whenever the momentum started to shift. By the time the third quarter rolled around, two massive 11-0 runs effectively turned out the lights. Kane’s double-double of 15 points and 12 boards was the statistical anchor, but it was the team’s collective suffocating man-to-man defense, holding Old Forge to a dismal 32% from the floor, that sealed the deal.
Cementing the Legacy
Winning a WPIAL title at The Pete is one thing, but sweeping the district and state championships in the same season? That’s rarified air. This 30-1 squad finished with a victory that marks the fourth state gold for the program, putting them in the conversation for the best team the school has ever produced.
For the Sewickley Academy faithful, the drive back from Hershey felt a lot shorter this year. The Silver Streak is over, and the Panthers are back where they belong: at the top of the mountain.