Lebo falls to Allderdice
A 63-54 loss to Allderdice may have ended Mt. Lebanon’s basketball season but the defeat did not negate all the good things the boys’ squad accomplished during the 2017-18 campaign.
The Blue Devils compiled a 20-5 record. They grabbed the Section 2 crown with an 11-1 slate. They reached the Final Four in the WPIAL Class 6A tournament, falling in overtime to the eventual district champion.
“These guys had a pretty good year and plenty to hang their hats on,” Lebo skipper Joe David said. “We all go out with a loss except for one team,” he added alluding to the eventual state champion. “I’m proud of this team.”
David even was proud of his team in defeat. For in losing to the Dragons, who are the City of Pittsburgh League champions, Lebo combatted heavy odds. They played without Caden Hinckley. At 6-6, he represented Lebo’s inside presence. The senior averaged a double-double a game. The Blue Devils where without his services because of a stress fracture.
“Without Caden, it made it a tough road,” David said. “They got inside a lot and scored a lot of points from layups.”
Though Lebo managed a 29-25 lead at halftime, they could not stop Jackson Blaufeld. The 6-foot-3 junior connected on 7 of 11 shots and finished with 22 points, seven about his average.
Senior center Shaun Morris, who stands 6-feet-5, and junior guard Bobby Clifford dominated the inside attack, finishing with 13 and 11 tallies respectively.
Hayden Mitchell and Antonio Garofoli kept the Blue Devils in they fray. They buried 3-point field goals that pulled Lebo to within three points, 50-47, early in the final frame. Mitchell finished with 15 markers while Garofoli followed with 13 tallies.
Garofoli, Lebo’s leading scorer and sharpshooter from beyond the arc, along with Hinckley and Brice Miller represent the senior class on the team. In addition to Mitchell, Michael Palmer returns to the starting line-up and key subs Blaine Gartley, who can knock down the trey, Sean Loughran and Jake Hoffman should make the Blue Devils contenders again next season. Gartley and Hoffman are sophomores and Loughran is a junior.
“We are going to miss Antonio, Caden and Brice and I am sure they will be successful in the future and we will love watching them but we do have a lot of guys coming back that got a lot of playing time. In a few years, Blaine is going to be one of the best players in the WPIAL. Sean had been a starter for us in the past. Jake gave us quality minutes and Mike and Mitchell are back with a lot of experience.
“We had a good run this year and we have good guys coming back. We are going to work hard over the summer with them and we are going to get better,” David assured.
Unlike Mt. Lebanon, South Fayette and Seton LaSalle were first-round PIAA playoff survivors.
The Rebels, who were the WPIAL Class 3A runners-up, defeated Central Cambria, 75-67, in their game, played March 10 at Peters Township. In the triumph, Jakob Richardson (26), George Mike (16) and Kaleb Krebs (12) notched double figures. SLS (20-6) is scheduled to play Fairview (23-3) at 7:30 p.m. March 14 at Sharon.
The Lions defeated Clearfield, 55-44, in their game, played March 9 at St. Mary’s High School. In the victory, Tim Locher (16) and Connor Mislan (14) scored in double digits. South Fayette (17-8) played New Castle (22-4) March 13 at Aliquippa in the second round of the PIAA Class 4A tournament.