Jan 31, 2017 By Eleanor Bailey 5 min read

With 10 days remaining in the regular season, Mt. Lebanon has dominated the action in its sections, but crowning the Blue Devils champions is far from over as the boys’ basketball squad still faces roadblocks.

After thumping Bethel Park, 82-47, the Lebo lads improved to 7-1 in Section 6 of the WPIAL’s 6-A classification. Before hosting Connellsville on Jan. 31, they were 11-7 overall.

The Blue Devils travel to Baldwin for a key section clash Feb. 3. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.

The Highlanders represented Lebo’s lone loss. Back on Jan. 10, the Blue Devils fell behind, 17-2, after one frame and eventually succumbed, 51-45, on their home court.

“We had a bad first quarter and we did not play defense well,” said Lebo floor boss Joe David of the Baldwin debacle. “We also didn’t take care of the ball. You can’t do that against good teams. So we have to play better.”

Since the defeat, the Blue Devils have played better. In fact, they have played well, rolling up five victories, including the impressive win against the Hawks.

“We are playing well and getting better,” David agreed. “That is the goal. To get better and better and hopefully we will be peaking in two weeks.”

Mark Lamendola reached a peak recently. In the triumph against BP, he scorched the nets for a career-high 31 points. He also dished up five assists, pulled down seven rebounds and picked up five steals.

“Mark played fantastic,” said David. “He put it all together and just had a great game.”

Sean Loughran had a great game from beyond the arc. He buried six, 3-point field goals and finished with 20 tallies. Loughran and Antonio Garofoli are Lebo’s top outside threats and along with Lamendola lead the team in scoring.

But, the Blue Devils also rely upon starters Michael Palmer and Caden Hinckley along with key reserves such as Brice Miller, Sean Witte, Joey Passodelis and Brent Reinke for success.

“We are a young team,” David said of the squad, which only has four seniors on the roster. “We’ve made mistakes early but we have learned from them and aside from Pine-Richland (61-32) and Hampton (77-55), we have been in every game. So I think we can contend with anybody because in basketball, anything can happen. A team can get hot and cold. It’s a funny game. But,” David concluded, “I like where we are.”

C-M boys keep pace

After falling to Lebo, Canon-McMillan recovered to beat Valley, 73-51, in non-league action. With the win, the C-M boys improved to 13-5 overall. They were 5-3 and in third place in Section 2 to start the week.

Against Valley, RJ Bell exploded for 20 points. Britton Beachy pitched in 16 markers. Carson Miller had 18 points in the loss to Lebo, which was led by Michael Palmer’s 15 tallies. Antonio Garofoli and Mark Lamendola also finished in double figures with 13 and 11 points respectively.

Meanwhile, Peters Township split section decisions, falling to Baldwin, 72-59, but edging Connellsville, 71-69, in overtime. Against the Highlanders, Michael Cortese dropped in 26, 15 off five, 3-pointers. Cortese topped out with 17 against the Falcons. Cortese connected on four free throws in overtime and pushed the game into an extra frame with his bucked with 2.9 seconds remaining in regulation. Also for the Indians, Dax Ploskina (13), Conor Pederson (12) and Matt Thelk (10) were in double digits.

In other section action, Upper St. Clair defeated Connellsville, 57-54, and Bethel Park, 73-51, to remain in playoff contention. At the top of the week, the Panthers were 4-4 in the league and 11-6 overall.

Kyle Meinert led the Panthers in each win, scoring 20 against the Falcons and 22 against the Hawks. In double figures against BP, also, were Quintin Nelson (17) and Darius Radfar (15).

For the Hawks, Justin Meis was tops with 12 tallies. He also led BP in the loss against Lebo with 14 markers.

CV clips Quips

Chartiers Valley upended Aliquippa, 62-55, during the Pittsburgh Classic played Jan. 29 at Montour. Coleman Vaughn fired in 22 points, 19 in the first half as the Colts opened up a 40-31 advantage. Ross Wilkerson followed with 19 markers, nine off three-pointers in the first frame, when CV led, 22-12.

Previously, in Section 2-AAAAA action, the Colts succumbed to Moon, 56-37. Caleb Zajicek led with 12 tallies.

The Colts are 12-4 overall and 5-2 in their section. After entertaining Hampton (Jan. 31), CV visits Knoch on Feb. 3 and host Mars Feb. 7. The Colts finish section play on the road against Montour (Feb. 8) and West Allegheny (Feb. 10) before playing South Fayette in a non-league contest Feb. 13.

South Fayette, meanwhile, started the week tied for first place in Section 3-AAAA with McGuffey and Belle Vernon. All had 8-2 slates.

The Lions are coming off victories against Elizabeth-Forward, 62-53, and South Park, 74-34. Cam Darwin (17) and Matt Thomas (16) led against the Warriors while Tim Locher and Luke Meindl each tallied 15 points against the Eagles.

Also, in Section 3-AAAA play, Keystone Oaks split decisions, falling to Uniontown, 86-68, and beating Waynesburg, 96-54. Ryan Collins fired in 21 points and Vontae Mitchell followed with 16 against the Red Raiders. Mitchell topped out with 26 against Waynesburg. Josh Snell added 22 points.

Bishop Canevin remained deadlocked with Sewickley Academy for the Section 3-AA lead. The Crusaders were 9-1 overall after sweeping past Neshannock, 72-52, and Northgate, 77-30. Mitchell King and Walter Bonds dropped in 22 and 21 tallies respectively against Neshannock. Eugene Goodwine and Kellan Gustine each fired in 15 against the Flames.

Seton-La Salle edged Avonworth, 49-47, but fell to C.W. North Catholic, 47-35. Matt Banburty and Jakob Richardson tossed in 15 points each against the Antelopes. Nick Deanes had 12 markers in the loss to the Trojans.

The Rebels also lost to Beaver Falls, 86-62, in the Pittsburgh Classic. Nick Davis (20) and Richardson (15) led the way for SLS, which is 6-11 overall and 4-3 in Section 2-AAA.

Finally, Chartiers-Houston dispatched Carmichaels, 80-39, and California, 60-48. A.J. Meyers supplied 21 points in each win. Cam Hanley contributed 16 against the Mikes and 20 against Cal. Zach Southern (16) and Andrew Clark (15) also reached double figures in the win against Carmichaels.