Lebo ladies showing grit
Coming off a demoralizing loss to Bethel Park, 55-36, Mt. Lebanon girls’ basketball coach Dori Oldaker looked for something more than heart from her players when they challenged Peters Township.
In the Blue Devils’ 44-43 triumph last week against the Indians, she got it.
“We preached about whether or not our team had grit,” Oldaker said. “We didn’t show any versus Bethel.”
Jess Wilhelm displayed it initially and it breathed life in the Blue Devils as they soared to a 19-10 advantage that stretched to 27-18 by intermission.
Alyssa Hyland didn’t just follow with key 3-point field goals to finish with 14 tallies, 10 of them in the first frame. The other senior guard secured critical rebounds down the stretch when Lebo’s shaky free-throw shooting (3 of 10 in the final frame) nearly cost them the treasured victory.
“With Jess, I think it became contagious and Hyland’s play was a perfect example,” Oldaker said of the team’s unyielding courage in the face of hardship.
Lebo, indeed, has faced tough times before and after the Peters Township fray.
The Blue Devils started the season on the road, losing five of those eight contests. They dropped a pair of games at the North Allegheny Tournament and three during the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix before the holidays. After split decisions in their own tournament in late December, came the disparaging loss to Bethel Park. Plus, Lebo lost to arch rival Upper St. Clair, 48-45, on Martin Luther King Day.
Although the Blue Devils were 6-8, they were tied for second place with the Panthers in Section 3 with a 3-2 slate. Peters Township and Bethel Park were tied for first with 4-1 records. The top four teams in each section of the WPIAL’s Class 6 advance to post-season play.
“Honestly, we are just trying to make the playoffs in this tough, strongly contested, heated section,” Oldaker said. “We are not,” she emphasized, “concerned about rankings.”
Oldaker added that the Peters game, just like the Bethel and USC contests, does not define Lebo.
“Next game, next opponent, next opportunity to improve,” she said.
Oldaker admitted improvement must start at the line. Lebo was 2 of 8 in the final 102 seconds of play. “That was almost a back breaker,” she said of the showing from the charity stripe.
Jamey Napoleon, however, continues to display improvement. The junior forward fired in 14 points. She provided a strong 1-2 presence on the boards with sophomore Haley Sabol, who finished with 10 tallies against the Indians.
The Blue Devils begin second-half of section action at home against Baldwin on Jan. 22. The rematches with Bethel Park and at Peters Township follow Jan. 29 and Feb. 1. In between is a visit to Canon-McMillan on Jan. 25 and then the rematch hosting USC on Feb. 7.
“We had some growing pains and we are just trying to build upon some confidence that we are obtaining in tough games win or lose,” Oldaker said “We are focusing on the process, not the wins or losses.”
Notes: Makenna Marisa led Peters Township with 24 tallies. Lillian Young followed with 10 tallies. Isabella Mills buried a 3-pointer with 12.1 seconds to play to pull the Indians within a point. The trio also led the Indians in a slim victory over Canon-McMillan, 53-50, on Jan. 15. Marisa exploded for 33 points. Young tacked on 10 and Mills fired in seven, five in the final 30 seconds of play.
In Lebo’s loss to USC, Nora Kogan tossed in 11 points. Lindsay Meyer and Kate Groninger led the way for the Panthers. Each scored 14 points.