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PIAA Class 5A: Imhotep boys top New Castle stay perfect in state championships

03/26/2022, 12:15am EDT
By Jason Guarente

Jason Guarente (@JasonGuarente)

HERSHEY — Rahmir Barno looked down at the gold medal and thought about the road he traveled. For two years he imagined this moment only to see it disappear without so much as a chance.

One season COVID canceled the tournament. The next season it shut down Imhotep Charter.

The Panthers weren’t going to let that happen again. Once they finally stepped back onto the Giant Center floor, there was no denying them.

Imhotep started fast and held off New Castle 54-39 in the PIAA Class 5A championship game at Hershey Friday night. It was the Panthers’ eighth state title.


Rahmir Barno (above) won his first state title in helping Imhotep to its eighth in program history. (Photo: Jason Guarente/CoBL)

“It feels good, man,” Barno said. “My first one. Getting this meant a lot. I’m just going to enjoy the moment and have fun with my team. It feels good to experience this and say that we won states.”

Imhotep’s players were unhappy spectators when these medals were handed out last March. All they could do was watch on television, if they could stomach it.

Ma’Kye Taylor checked out those games. He used them for motivation.

“It made me want to go harder for it,” said Taylor, who had eight points and five rebounds off the bench. “It made me really want to win this year. I guess it gave me drive. This was a big stepping stone for us. This felt amazing. It felt better than anything.”

Imhotep (28-4) jumped all over New Castle from the opening tip. Justin Edwards drilled a 3. Then Ahmad Nowell followed suit. Then it was Edwards again with a conventional 3-point play. The Panthers were ahead 14-0 after 4:39.

Any hope New Castle had of slowing down the tempo and grinding out a low-scoring victory was severely damaged before fans were completely settled into their seats.

“They’re just an incredibly well-coached team,” Imhotep coach Andre Noble said. “We knew we had a tough challenge on our hands. I was glad we got up on them early. That helped us out big time. I felt they would settle in. They run good stuff.”

Edwards was unstoppable. The 6-7 junior, with Division I suitors sitting on press row, made 7-of-11 shots and scored 20 points in the first three quarters. He gave a glance at New Castle’s bench after his game-opening 3. A hint of what was to follow.

New Castle (27-3), the District 7 runner-up, somehow recovered from the early knockdown and was in decent shape near the end of the first half. The Hurricanes trailed by eight with possession.

Following a rushed shot, Barno dribbled the length of the court and drilled a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer. Those were his first points. The lead was back to 11.

“That put us up double-digits,” Barno said. “It kind of gave us a spark coming back out for the second half. I felt that was a big play in the game.”

Imhotep celebrates its 2022 PIAA Class 5A state championship. (Photo: Jason Guarente/CoBL)

Barno finished with 12 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. The 6-0 junior had his fingerprints on every aspect of the game. He fed Taylor and Chad Anglin for dunks in the second half.

When New Castle inched back to within nine in the fourth quarter, Barno had an assist and made four consecutive free throws to seal it.

“I like getting guys involved,” he said. “Getting my guys easy points. It makes me feel good when they’re feeling good. That’s one of my favorite parts about playing on the ball.”

Point guards are usually a team’s engine. That’s definitely the case with Barno.

“He facilitates everything,” Taylor said. “If we didn’t have him, I don’t know where we’d be. We probably wouldn’t be here.”

Michael Wells shot 5-for-11 from 3 and scored 19 points to lead New Castle. Isiah Boice scored 13 points. The Hurricanes were never closer than seven after that opening run.

Imhotep made sure to soak in the moment. It’s painful to lose. It’s even more painful to have the opportunity taken away. That’s what the Panthers endured. They celebrated with the trophy at center court before carrying it over to the stands. Then they celebrated with friends and family. They’ve never lost a PIAA final. Eight games. Eight wins.

“I’ll be putting this up on the shelf,” Barno said of his medal. “I’ll be back. His brother will be coming home with him next year.”

Unless something unusual keeps Imhotep off the court, there’s a good chance Barno will be right.


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