PIAA Class 2A State Championship Tournament Preview (Kehler On Hoops)
Written by: Andy Herr on March 3, 2026
Article by David Kehler
This is the second in a series of tournament previews on this website. See piaa.org for the entire tournament schedule.
The PIAA state championship tournament begins on Friday and concludes on Saturday, March 21. In a single elimination format, champions will be crowned in six classes, which are largely based on enrollment. Class 1A contains the smallest schools, and Class 6A the largest. Seeding is not based on power rankings, and key games can occur in the early rounds of the tourney. For fun, and to spark discussion, here are some predictions.
Sewickley Academy is the overwhelming favorite to win the Class 2A state championship this season. The view from here is that of all of the teams competing in all six of the PIAA classes, Sewickley is the one team most likely to win a state championship this month. Last March, Sewickley was narrowly defeated in the state title game by Linville Hill Christian in a thriller. This season, Sewickley is 25-1 and undefeated vs Pennsylvania opponents, with many lopsided scores. Their only loss was by one point to New Jersey traditional power Roselle Catholic. Last week, Sewickley crushed an excellent Jeannette squad 52-38 for the District 7 championship. Located in the Pittsburgh area, Sewickley is a private school founded in 1838. Sewickley may have the tallest high school squad in the state. Their front court players are 6’ 8”, 6’ 8”, and 6’ 5”, and a key sub is 6’ 5”. One of those big guys, Mamadou Kane, is averaging about 15 points per game. Sewickley’s coach is former NBA player Mike Iuzzolino. They are one of the top teams in the state, regardless of class. Sewickley is in the western bracket.
Jeannette is also in the western bracket, and their only loss to a Pennsylvania team this season was in the District 7 title game to Sewickley. The view from here is that Jeannette is the second-best class 2A team in the state. They are 22-2, and most of their wins have been blowouts. They have a pressing, up tempo style of play. Their two top players are Markus McGowan and Kymon’e Brown. McGowan is averaging 19 points a game this season and was a 2nd team All-State selection last year. Brown, quick and a good shooter, was 3rd team All-State last season.
Two other teams in the western bracket have fine records. McConnellsburg is 25-1 with a slew of lopsided victories and the District 5 championship trophy. Nothing about their schedule suggests that they can get past Sewickley. Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, from Coraopolis, is always capable and disciplined. This season, they are 21-5. They were defeated by 26 points by Sewickley in the semifinals of the District 7 tournament.
In the eastern bracket, the top contenders look to be York Catholic, Delone Catholic, and United. York Catholic is 20-5, and Delone Catholic is 23-2. These teams played three times this season, with Delone winning the first two, but York Catholic taking the third one, which was for the District 3 championship. Delone has a number of one-sided wins, but they have lost two of their last three contests, bowing to Class 5A York Suburban in their league playoffs. York Catholic has a 67-51 win over Class 6A Cedar Cliff—a team that made it into the state championship tournament—and a two-point home loss to excellent Berks Catholic, a Class 4A power.
United is an intriguing team in the eastern bracket. At 27-0, they are the only undefeated boys team in the state. Located in Armagh, Indiana County, they are the District 6 champs. Their most impressive results were two wins over Bishop McCort, the second of which was by eight points in the District 6 title game. Bishop McCort also qualified for the Class 2A state championship field.
Perennial state title contender Constitution, of the Philadelphia Public League, is also in the eastern bracket. Constitution is 15-11 and battle tested by playing a challenging schedule. They have wins over defending Class 4A state champion Devon Prep and teams from New York and Washington. Additionally, they defeated a couple of teams from their league who are in the state championship tournament: Class 4A Murrell Dobbins Tech and Class 3A Universal Audenreid Charter. Their veteran coach, Rob Moore, will have Constitution prepared to make a run.
Top teams: Sewickley Academy, Jeannette, York Catholic, Delone Catholic, United, McConnellsburg, and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Dark horse: Constitution
Projected final four: Sewickley Academy, Jeannette, York Catholic, and Constitution
Projected championship game: Sewickley over York Catholic
On X (formerly Twitter): @david_kehler
LLhoops.com contributor David Kehler chairs the Pennsylvania Sportswriters’ selection of the boys All-State basketball teams.
Follow LLhoops on Twitter @LLhoops
