Feb 3, 2015 By Eleanor Bailey 4 min read

Jonny David registered an unorthodox triple-triple in spearheading Mt. Lebanon to victory, 58-55, against Chartiers Valley. The senior buried the game-winning bucket, a three-pointer, with 7.5 seconds remaining in triple overtime. He finished with 19 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau with a 3-pointer in the first frame.

“Definitely,” he said. “This was the best win I have been a part of in my four years. It was great.”

Fantastic was the finish as David buried his fifth shot from beyond the arc to seal the victory.

“I was open,” he said. “I got the right rotation on the ball. I knew it was going into the hoop. I felt it was perfect when I took the shot.”

David hit a perfect shot from the corner with 21 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. Patrick Ehland, who finished with 20 tallies, scored Lebo’s lone points in the first extra four-minute frame. Eddie Flohr had scored off the tip to lift CV into the lead, 53-51 before Ehland’s equalizer.

In the second extra period, Matty McConnell gave the Colts a 55-53 lead with 1:20 to go but missed the follow-up free throw. With 53.6 left, Matt Hoffman barreled his way to the hoop for a layup, forcing yet another overtime. Hoffman, who is a Penn football recruit, finished with 10 tallies.

For much of the game, Lebo contained McConnell, who leads the WPIAL with a 30-plus scoring average. He finished with 15 points, 13 coming in the second half as the Colts constructed several five-point margins, including 49-44 with 5:14 remaining in regulation. With the advantage, CV opted to hold the ball and whittled the clock down from 4:34 to 1:46 before turning the ball over.

Though McConnell was held in check, Flohr, Jake Ritson and Ross Wilkerson kept the Colts in contention during the first half. CV turned a one-point, first-frame deficit, 17-16, into a 33-30 halftime lead. The Colts converted six of their seven 3-pointers in the first 16 minutes of play.

Flohr scored 15 of his 21 points in the first half. Ritson had two, 3-pointers in that span and Wilkerson tallied all 13 of his markers over the first three quarters as CV maintained its 3-point edge, 43-40.

David needed five points to reach the 1,000-point plateau. He surpassed the milestone on back-to-back 3-point buckets that provided Lebo a 17-13 advantage with 1:04 remaining in the first frame.

“It wasn’t something that I thought about until this year,” David said. “Growing up around this team I didn’t think of myself in the same light as guys like Tyler Bluemling and other Mt. Lebanon players that reached 1,000.”

David grew up thinking he might emulate his father. Joe David scored over 1,000 points while playing at Upper St. Clair High School. Because his father owns and operates a physical therapy business in the community as well as coaches the Blue Devils, David moved from USC to Mt. Lebanon as a youth.

On playing for his father David said it’s been great. “A once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said. “I cherish each moment. There is no down side to it.”

There is no down side to victory either. With the win, Lebo moved a half game ahead of the Colts in the Section 4-AAAA standings. The Blue Devils are 11-2 in the division and 16-5 overall. The Colts are 10-2 in the league and 16-3 overall. While the Colts close out section play hosting Moon on Feb. 6 and Bethel Park on Feb. 7, Lebo visits Upper St. Clair on Feb. 6 for the section finale.

“It’s a big game on Friday against a great rival,” said David, “and we can win the section title then.”