After falling to South Allegheny in an epic WPIAL Class 3A championship three weeks ago, Aliquippa coach Nick Lackovich turned his attention toward the PIAA tournament, reminding reporters that the Quips were still the state champs, “Until somebody buries us.”
Good thing the Gladiators brought their shovels Saturday to the state semifinals.
Squaring off in a highly anticipated rematch for a spot in the PIAA championship — the second meeting between the teams in the Western Region final in the past four years — South Allegheny and Aliquippa authored another memorable back-and-forth affair which came down to the wire. In front of a jam-packed crowd at Canon-McMillan, the Gladiators absorbed an early series of body blows, then picked themselves up off the canvas to knock out the Quips and clinch their first trip to the state final with a 36-31 comeback win.
Senior point guard Cameron Epps scored a game-high 17 points for South Allegheny, while junior guard Qa’lil Goode finished with 14 in the defeat.
“That makes two of them, right?” Gladiators coach Tony DiCenzo said about the similarities to the first matchup in the WPIAL final. “Much like the last game, I don’t know if we were ever in full control of it for very long. It was a carbon copy of last time. We made big plays down the stretch in important moments, and we’re moving on.”
Aiming to become the first WPIAL team in nearly 50 years to make four consecutive state championship appearances, Aliquippa had to play short-handed Saturday. Star junior Josh Pratt was unable to suit up after sustaining an ankle injury Friday in practice, leaving the Quips without their go-to scorer in their biggest game of the season.
With Pratt watching from the sideline with crutches and a walking boot, Aliquippa found itself at a major disadvantage even before the game’s opening tip — but if there’s one team that thrives in the face of adversity unlike any other, it’s the Quips.
Just like the first matchup between the teams, Aliquippa took control early and maintained a lead throughout the first half, even stretching it to double digits at one point in the second quarter. The team’s second-leading scorer during the season, Goode started things off with back-to-back floaters in the lane before Pratt’s younger brother, freshman Jeremiah Pratt, tacked on two buckets to keep the Quips in front.
“They had a huge setback with Pratt not playing today,” DiCenzo said. “Even when we found that out shortly before the game, we knew we were going to get their best punch still. They have too much pride and too much tradition. They’re a historic program for a reason, and they showed that fight today.”
South Allegheny simply could not find its rhythm on offense in the opening quarter — and the second quarter was more of the same, with both teams refusing to budge while playing with their trademark brands of toughness, speed and physicality. But after a chaotic back-and-forth sequence in the final minute of the half, Epps drained a corner 3 just before the buzzer to trim the deficit to five — giving the Gladiators a much-needed boost going into the break.
“I’ve been watching that for four years,” DiCenzo said. “[Epps] has made big shots in big games and big moments for us his whole career. … Coming out of halftime, he made a concerted effort to lock back in and get focused, and you saw that in his play in the second half.”
With South Allegheny still struggling to get anything going offensively, Epps gave the Gladiators a spark with back-to-back 3-pointers late in the third quarter, shrinking the gap to three going into the fourth. Another 3-pointer by Epps made it a one-point game midway through the final quarter, and he continued to feed off the raucous crowd after each made basket.
“It was beautiful,” Epps said about the fan support. “I think I got the crowd involved a lot. I was over there waving to them. … That matters so much. Our fans, everyone — I’m grateful for all of them.”
With three minutes remaining, junior guard Drew Cook fired a cross-court pass to Jackowski in the corner, and the senior forward calmly buried a go-ahead 3 to give South Allegheny its first lead of the game. Moments after a game-tying layup by Marques Council for Aliquippa, Jackowski then threw down a thunderous dunk in transition to send the crowd into a frenzy and put the Gladiators back on top for good.
“As soon as [the 3] left my hand, I knew it was in,” Jackowski said. “Hearing the crowd erupt after that was just so special.”
Cook added a free throw in the final minute to make it a three-point game, then Epps put the finishing touches on South Allegheny’s historic victory with two free throws to seal the win.
“I trust the work I put in,” Epps said. “It’s just a blessing. I’m grateful for every day that we get to spend with each other, and we don’t take it for granted.”
Class 2A
For the fifth time in school history and first time since capturing the PIAA Class 2A title in 2017, Sewickley Academy is heading to a state championship appearance.
After falling behind by 14 points in another all-WPIAL Western Region final against Greensburg Central Catholic (26-4), the Panthers came roaring back from a 14-point deficit to stun the Centurions, 52-48, at Peters Township’s AHN Arena. Towering 6-foot-8 freshman Mamadou Kane and 6-2 junior forward Lucas Grimsley tallied 17 points apiece to lead the way for Sewickley (24-6), while Brady O’Rourke led Greensburg Central with 14 points to go with 11 from Samir Crosby and 10 from A.J. Tarpley.
With first-year coach Mike Iuzzolino calling the shots, the Panthers now will move on to face District 3 runner-up Linville Hill (23-5) in the Class 2A state final at 2 p.m. Friday. Linville Hill dispatched District 4 champion Northwest in the other PIAA semifinal, 68-43.
Class 6A
After capturing its second consecutive WPIAL title and reaching the Western Region final for the second time in school history, Upper St. Clair’s remarkable run came to a close in a 59-46 defeat to vaunted Philadelphia powerhouse Roman Catholic at James Buchanan High School.
The Panthers kept things close in the opening quarter, but the Cahillites (25-5) surged ahead in the second to take a 14-point lead into halftime. Upper St. Clair then threatened with one final comeback attempt in the third quarter, but the outcome was never truly in doubt in the second half, as Roman Catholic clinched its third trip to the PIAA Class 6A championship in the past four seasons and sixth overall since 2015.
Lafayette recruit Shareef Jackson scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Cahillites along with 11 from Sebastian Edwards, while Miami (Ohio) recruit Tyler Robbins capped off his stellar career with a team-leading 18 points in the loss for the Panthers (26-3).
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
