Old Forge’s Logan Fanning competes for the rebound with Sewickley Academy’s Mamadou Kane during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Sewickley Academy’s Adam Ikamba defends Old Forge’s Arthur Askew during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Logan Fanning lifts the ball to the hoop during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s head coach JJ Thomas calls out to his players during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Sewickley Academy’s Mamadou Kate and Caden Battles work to get the ball away from Old Forge’s Logan Fanning during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Sewickley Academy’s Mamadou Kate defends Old Forge’s Logan Fanning during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Camren Krushnowski controls the ball during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Sewickley Academy’s Drew Steals defends Old Forge’s Camren Krushnowski during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Nick Salerno defends Sewickley Academy’s Ja’Mere Guyton during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge players react to the referee’s call during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Logan Fanning passes the ball to his teammate Robby Solfanelli during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Arthur Askew shoots during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Sewickley Academy’s Erin Craciun defends Old Forge’s Chris Rasmus during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Cameron Parker takes a free throw shot during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Jake Lucarelli hugs teammate Cameron Parker as he returns to the bench during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s Ryan DeMarco shakes hands with his teammate Nick Salerno while holding the runner up trophy after the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s head coach JJ Thomas hugs player Cameron Parker during the awards presentation after the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge fans cheer as their team scores during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge cheerleaders perform before the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge players greet their student section after the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge’s head coach JJ Thomas high fives his team after the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Old Forge fans react to game play during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Old Forge’s Logan Fanning competes for the rebound with Sewickley Academy’s Mamadou Kane during the PIAA Class 2A championship basketball game at the Giant Center in Hershey on Friday, March 20, 2026. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
HERSHEY — There will often be tears after playing in the final high school game of a career.
One team sheds its tears for joy, celebrating a hard-fought championship. That was Sewickley Academy, a collection of all-star talent from far and wide.
The other, theirs are for the end of an unforgettable journey. That was Old Forge. Their group of homegrown athletes built an unbreakable bond in a quest to close out their days wearing the blue and gold on the court in Hershey at the Giant Center.
Sewickley Academy, the District 7 champions and runner-up from a year ago, earned a 52-36 win on Friday afternoon over a determined group of neighborhood kids from the borough of Old Forge.
Mamadou Kane, who hails from Senegal, and Adam Ikamba, who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, are Sewickley Academy’s towering inside players. Kane scored 15 points, and Ikamba had 14 points, to lead the Panthers team to a 30-1 overall finish.
Logan Fanning, Old Forge’s center in the paint, had 10 points, five rebounds and four blocks, and Cam Krushnowski scored 10 points for the Blue Devils (22-7).
“This is indescribable,” Fanning said. “I don’t even know how to put this into words. We are bonded together for life. We are never going to separate. It has been an incredible journey.”
After the game, Old Forge players were presented with their medals.
It was also fitting that injured senior captain Ryan DeMarco, who attended the game in a wheelchair as he rehabs from surgery, accepted the runner-up trophy from PIAA president and District 2 chairman Frank Majikes at center court.
“Whether it was silver or gold, it means everything to us,” DeMarco said. “I was dying to be out there. These medals are a reflection of our season and our careers together. We are always going to remember this.”
Supported by their loyal followers, decked out in gold T-shirts, who made the trek to Hershey, Old Forge stared down a daunting challenge against the talented group from Sewickley Academy.
They battled with passion and intensity, especially on defense, frustrating the high-scoring Panthers at times and giving a jolt to the heavily favored group by jumping out to a 6-2 advantage in the opening three minutes.
Cameron Parker scored five points, and Fanning added a free throw, and the Blue Devils fired up the fans.
Sewickley Academy, however, responded. The Panthers thrived on defense all season, and their height and length made things extremely difficult for Old Forge.
After Drew Steals drilled a 3-pointer, the Panthers finished the first quarter on an 11-0 run and shifted the tide in their favor with a 13-6 lead.
That lull in scoring did not deter Old Forge. Fanning and Krushnowski helped the Blue Devils scratch their way to within 17-13 with 5:04 remaining in the second quarter. Parker also provided four points down the stretch to counter seven points from Ikamba and Steals. Sewickley Academy held a 24-17 lead at the half.
“Our offense, you know, we had too many shots not fall, but our defense was outstanding,” Parker said. “To hold that team to 24 points in a half when they average 70 points a game was amazing.”
Sewickley Academy seized the momentum in the third when Ikamba went to work. He had a layup and two power dunks. Then, Caden Battles swished a 3-pointer, and Kane converted an offensive putback for a 35-17 lead with 2:16 remaining in the third quarter.
From there, Old Forge maintained its energy but faced a steep uphill climb. Fanning had a layup, and Arthur Askew, a senior, drilled a 3-pointer around a 3-pointer by Connor Tull, and the Blue Devils trailed 38-22 after three quarters.
“You have to make sure that you take it all in,” Askew said. “This is a special group, and I am grateful to be a part of this team and this town.”
At the start of the fourth, Krushnowski hit a 3-pointer for Old Forge. Then, Kane got going with five straight points before Nick Salerno made a 3-pointer for the Blue Devils.
“They really out-sized us,” said Salerno, who continued to dive for loose balls and challenge Sewickley Academy’s guards right to the bitter end. “We have a lot of heart, and we play as a family. We had to be scrappy. I tried to get after every loose ball, but man, they are tall.”
After Fanning and Krushnowski brought Old Forge to within 45-32, Kane scored four straight. Fanning scored and was fouled. Before he could step to the line, Old Forge coach JJ Thomas substituted four seniors out and greeted each one with a hug.
“They are a very big team,” Krushnowski said. “We tried to stay together. Our 2-3 matchup zone gave them some trouble; I mean, we held them to 24 points in the first half. They were making shots, and we weren’t.”
After he made a free throw, Fanning exited to a roar from the Old Forge contingent.
“I knew this would be a challenge,” Fanning said. “I think I was up for it. Knowing it was our last game no matter the outcome, I wanted to leave it all on the court.“
This graduating group of Blue Devils has plenty to be proud of after back-to-back District 2 Class 2A championship seasons.
They fulfilled their dream of being on the state’s biggest stage for their final game together and gave an all-out effort.
The memories they created along the way are what they will be remembered for in Old Forge boys basketball lore.
“It hurts that it all has to end,” Parker said. “But for our last game to be the very last game you can play is a bittersweet feeling. We are grateful that we got here in the first place. This is emotional that the season is over, but we are all proud of each other to be able to get to this point in the season.
“Not everybody believed we could get here, but we did, and our fans did.”