Sewickley Academy's Pryor reaches new heights for Catholic University

Sewickley Academy graduate Justin Pryor is driving to the basket more, and it is helping him on the Catholic University men’s basketball team.

Pryor, a 6-foot-3 junior guard, recently had two career-high 15-point games.

He said laying the ball up was something he hung his hat on before the Division III Cardinals asked him to be a jump shooter.

In his career with Sewickley Academy, he scored 1,000 points, leading the Panthers to WPIAL Class AA and PIAA titles in 2017.

“I’ve always been good at that,” he said. “(It is a) main part of my game.”

Pryor, who has played 20 games this season, is averaging six points, up from 2.9 in each of his first two seasons.

Catholic coach Aaron Kelly said Pryor, a business management major, has gained confidence and is playing relaxed.

“The first two years, he played some but wasn’t consistent,” Kelly said. “He (now) can play through some mistakes.

“He’s reliable (and) practices hard.”

Pryor’s output went for naught as the Cardinals, of Washington, D.C., lost to Moravian by one point and Scranton by eight points in Landmark Conference games.

The Cardinals entered last week 8-13 overall and 4-6 in the conference. With four games remaining, they were two out of the fourth and final spot in the conference championship scheduled for the end of February.

They last won the conference title in 2013.