Imani Christian has feasted on Class 1A competition for two seasons now, going unbeaten against teams that reside in the classification.
Thursday, a Saints team hungry to win a second consecutive WPIAL title once again sat at the championship table.
Turnovers were on the menu, and the Saints decided to just help themselves.
Following a slow start, No. 1 Imani Christian picked up its defensive pressure in the second quarter and rolled to a 78-49 mercy-rule against No. 2 Neighborhood Academy at Petersen Events Center.
Nate Brazil scored 17 points and RJ Sledge and Avery Wesley added 16 points apiece for reigning PIAA champion Imani Christian (14-11), which forced 18 first-half turnovers and 26 in the game. The Saints, who saw their two all-state performers transfer to out-of-state schools following last season, improved to 31-0 against Class 1A foes since the beginning of last season. Neighborhood Academy (18-6), which is in just its fourth season in the WPIAL and was playing in the final for the first time, was led by Yale recruit Courtney Wallace, who finished with a game-high 28 points.
“It feels good that the players that stayed and stuck with us, they get a chance to reap the benefits of what we do as a staff and as a school, which is prepare these guys for the next level, and to make sure that they know exactly what they need to do and how to get it done,” said Imani Christian first-year coach Khayree Wilson, who was an assistant last season. “We came out here and did that today. I think that we showed everybody that Imani Christian Academy is here to stay, whether it be 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A or 6A, Imani’s here.”
Imani Christian has elected to play in Class 6A next season, so a three-peat will be challenging. Speaking of challenges, Neighborhood Academy looked like it would give the Saints a big one after dropping games to the Saints by margins of 29 and 16 in the regular season. The Bulldogs didn’t appear affected by the bright lights in the early going as they jumped to a 10-3 lead before holding a 15-11 advantage after the first quarter.
After that, though, it was all Imani Christian. The Saints absolutely dominated the second quarter, outscoring Neighborhood Academy, 33-11, to take a 44-26 halftime lead. Sledge had 9 points, 2 assists and 2 steals in the quarter, one the Saints began with an 8-0 run and ended with an 11-0 run. The Bulldogs committed 13 turnovers in the frame.
“The biggest thing for me is, we had a game plan coming in, and we got away from it,” Neighborhood Academy coach Jordan Marks said. “I take full responsibility for the loss. The kids gave me everything they have.”
It was more of the same in the third quarter when Imani Christian outscored Neighborhood Academy, 25-9. Sledge’s free throw with 3:14 left in the quarter increased the Saints advantage to 63-33, invoking the mercy rule. Wesley knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the quarter for the Saints, who led, 69-35 after three quarters.
“It’s always good when you see the ball going through the hoop,” Wesley said. “It just gives you a lot of confidence, especially when the team is giving the ball and looking for you. It feels good.”
Eleven players scored for Imani Christian, which held a 22-5 advantage in bench scoring.
Wallace was the only player to score in double-figures for Neighborhood Academy. Freshman Kedron Gilmore added nine points, but had just three after the first quarter.
“I think after the first quarter we started playing to their speed. We weren’t playing to our speed,” Wallace said. “Our game is kind of slower. We have a lot of bigger guys, so we play slower. We don’t push it out on the fastbreak as much as them. And they started to speed it up on us and make us go their speed.”
And that’s when speedy Imani Christian raced to become back-to-back champion.
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.