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No. 2 Sewickley Academy boys avenge loss to No. 1 OLSH

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, February 10, 2018 | 12:48 AM

Sewickley Academy's Isiah Warfield felt like his jump shot was maybe a little off Friday night, but from roughly 15 feet he couldn't miss.

The sophomore went 18 for 18 from the foul line with eight makes in the fourth quarter to defeat Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 66-61, and grab a share of the Section 3-2A title in the section finale.

Warfield made just four shots from the field in his home gym, yet scored a game-high 27 points. His final free throws came with 3.9 seconds left, stretching a slim three-point lead into a comfortable five, and earlier made two crucial ones with 48.1 left.

“My shot wasn't falling,” Warfield said, “so getting to the rim, getting to the free throw line, was what I had to do tonight.”

Sewickley Academy (17-4, 13-1) and OLSH (19-2, 13-1) will likely receive the top two seeds when the WPIAL playoff brackets are announced Tuesday.

Warfield made two free throws in the first quarter, four in the second and four in the third as Sewickley built a 13-point, second-half lead.

He said he attempts at least 50 free throws a day in practice.

“He's been working so hard on that because he's got such a great game going to the basket,” Sewickley Academy coach Win Palmer said. “We talked about the fact he's going to get fouled a lot late in close games.”

But Warfield wasn't the only one making them Friday. As a team, Sewickley Academy converted 24 of 26 attempts from the foul line.

OLSH attempted 20 free throws and made 13.

Protecting a slim 62-61 lead, Sewickley sophomore Isaiah Smith was sent to the foul line with 17.5 seconds left and sank both attempts.

Smith finished with 17 points.

“We've been a great foul-shooting team,” Palmer said. “We're shooting 75 percent from the free throw line for the season, but tonight's even better.”

Donovan Johnson and Austin Wigley each scored 20 points for OLSH and Daren DiMichele added 10.

OLSH won the teams' first matchup 70-68 on Jan. 16. But as the defending WPIAL and PIAA champion, Sewickley should enter the playoffs as the No. 1 seed.

Each team entered Friday's rematch with a key starter sideline by a concussion. Sewickley Academy was missing 6-foot-6 forward Nate Ridgeway, while OLSH played without point guard Dante Spadafora.

“Both teams were trying to adapt,” Palmer said.

Sewickley Academy led 31-25 at half, but there were seven lead changes and two ties in the first 9 minutes. The lead changed hands on six consecutive baskets in one stretch before Sewickley took control with a 9-0 run to start the second quarter. Sewickley led 22-14 after two free throws by Warfield.

“I was attacking the rim,” Warfield said. “I felt that if I got fouled, I was going to knock them down.”

Sewickley's lead reached 13 points early in the third quarter when Warfield and Smith combined for an 8-0 run. With 4 minutes left in the third, Sewickley led 41-28.

OLSH rallied behind Wigley and Johnson, who combined for 16 points in the fourth.

In a last-minute rally, OLSH's Michael Dugan scored a three-point play with 55 seconds left, and then Wigley had a put-back and foul shot a 29.8 seconds to cut the lead to one.

But in those remaining seconds, Sewickley went 4 for 4 from the line, including the final two by Warfield.

“He loves pressure moments,” Palmer said of Warfield, who made a game-tying jumper in Hershey as a freshman. “I still remember what he did in the state championship game, hitting that shot at the end of the third quarter. I said, that's a kid with ice veins.”

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

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