Dec 13, 2016 5 min read

After a weekend filled with tip-off tournaments, some local basketball clubs get down to the serious business of section play. For example, Mt. Lebanon visits Canon-McMillan at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 16 in the first of many key Section 2, 6-A battles, while Bethel Park hosts Peters Township.

The Blue Devils started the 2016-17 campaign by capturing the championship in their own tournament. Lebo opened with a 64-33 win against Seton-La Salle then defeated Montour, 89-79 for the championship. Antonio Garofoli captured MVP honors, averaging 21.5 points per game. Mark Lamendola joined Garofoli on the all-tournament team, averaging 10 points and five assists a game. Brice Miller managed 10 points and eight assists while Caden Hinckley supplied eight points and pulled down 9.9 rebounds. Sean Laughran finished with a 13-point average.

“Everybody put in a good effort. It was a good team showing,” said Lebo skipper Joe David. “The championship game was well played against a very good Montour team. They are well-coached, get up in your face and run a lot. It was a fun game with a playoff-like atmosphere.”

Meanwhile, the Big Macs split decisions in their tournament. Canon-Mac whipped Eden Christian, 80-43, in the opener but succumbed to Latrobe, 93-86, in the final. Against EC, R.J. Bell fired in 24 points while Carson Miller tossed in 12 tallies. Drew Engel came off the bench to score 10 points. Against the Wildcats, Britton Beachy exploded for 26 markers. Jake Davey, Miller and Kenyan Lewis each finished with 17 points.

Meanwhile, the Lebo ladies will visit Seton-La Salle at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15 for a non-league game. The Blue Devils opened the season with victories against Chartiers Valley, 69-51, and Villa Maria, 54-42, but fell to Penn Hills, 58-28, in the North Allegheny Tournament.

“Our team played really well (the first two games) and we were proud of how we played and the effort,” Lebo floor boss Dori Oldaker said.

Against the Colts, who entered the fray ranked No. 1 in Class 5-A, Kenzie Bushee pumped in 21 points while Mackenzie Wagner answered with 19 tallies. Alyssa Hyland buried four, 3-point field goals for the Blue Devils.

Against Villa Maria, which is a District 10 power, Bushee topped 22 points while Kate Sramac registered a double-double with 14 markers and 12 assists.

For the tournament, Bushee averaged 17 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots per game. Hyland averaged 8.3 points while Kate Sramac managed 8.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Jamey Napolean supplied 5.4 rebounds and Jess Wilhelm nearly two steals.

In the loss, the Indians held the upper hand in all facets of the game.

“We would give a lot of credit to Penn Hills. They played really well and they were definitely the better team,” Oldaker said. “They played great defense and shot really well.

“Our team did not play to the level of our competition. We will learn from this and get better. One defeat does not define our team. We are a work in progress. We will take a 2-1 record versus tough competition,” added Oldaker, noting the Blue Devils started 0-2 last year.

There was no surprise at Chartiers Valley as the boys started the season with a win in the Upper St. Clair Tournament. The Colts defeated Bishop Canevin, 67-35, then beat the host Panthers, 61-59, for the championship.

“I was pleased with our overall play, except for the fourth quarter versus USC,” coach Tim McConnell said. “I didn’t think we took care of the ball like we needed too.”

Ross Wilkerson took care of the points. He dropped in 24 against Canevin. Coleman Vaughn and Caleb Zajicek finished with 16 and 14 markers respectively. For the Crusaders, who also lost to Monessen in the consolation game, Walter Bonds scored 12 points. Mitchell King tossed in 31 points in the loss to the Greyhounds.

USC reached the finals by knocking off Monessen, which was ranked No. 1 in Class A, 61-54. Kyle Meinert topped 22 tallies while Jack Hansberry and Matt Kissinger each tossed in 10 tallies.

Peters Township defeated Elizabeth-Forward, 69-19, and North Hills, 59-31, in its shared tip-off tournament with Baldwin. Makenna Marisa scored 13 points against North Hills and 16 against the Warriors. Alyssa Konopka and Isabella Mills were also in double digits with 17 and 15 against EF.

Meanwhile, the PT boys defeated Thomas Jefferson, 62-55. Mike Cortese scored a game-high 27 points while Conor Pederson pitched in 22. The Indians also beat West Allegheny, 69-38, in their shared tournament with Baldwin.

The Lady Macs split decisions, beating Moon, 64-34, and falling to the host Hillers, 57-41, in the Trinity Tournament.

Cheyenne Trest had 24 points against the Tigers. Tamara Mathis followed with 18 markers.

Bethel Park won its own tournament with victories against Beaver Area, 60-55, and Hempfield, 53-46.

Against the Bobcats, Kamryn Lach pumped in 21 points. Ashley Spence and Lauren Mullen were in double digits with 12 and 11 tallies. Maddie Dziezgowski pulled down 12 rebounds to go along with nine points.

Against the Spartans, Maria Cerro (16), Dziezgowski (14) and Lach (12) all finished in double figures. Dziezgowski earned all-tournament honors and Lach secured the MVP trophy.

The BP boys won the Somerset Tournament. The Hawks defeated Berkeley Springs, 72-25, then edged Shanksville-Stonycreek, 49-45, in the final.