Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair on a collision course
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Christian Powers averages 11 points per game for Mt. Lebanon, which will host Hempfield at 7 p.m. Feb. 22 in a first-round WPIAL Class 6A playoff game.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Christian Mallon attempts to put up a shot against Porter Rauch during Mt. Lebanon’s 41-30 win over Upper St. Clair.
The Mt. Lebanon and Upper St. Clair boys basketball teams may be on a collision course in the WPIAL Class 6A tournament.
The Blue Devils secured the No. 4 seed in the bracket, while the Panthers earned the fifth spot.
“We are very excited,” said Lebo head coach Joe David. “(The seeding) is a nice reward for the team for having a good year.”
The Blue Devils are 14-8 overall.
Lebo gained the higher seed after topping USC, 41-30, Feb. 11. Lebo also gained home-court advantage through the quarterfinals of the playoffs.
Lebo opens tournament action at 7 p.m. Feb. 22 hosting Hempfield (7-15) while USC simultaneously begins defense of its district title entertaining Penn-Trafford (9-12).
Should the Blue Devils and the Panthers win their first-round games, they would meet at 7 p.m. Feb. 25 at Mt. Lebanon.
“It’s nice to have these games at home because it provides a lot better atmosphere than having to get on a bus and travel a long ways to a neutral site,” David said of the WPIAL’s decision to have the higher seeded teams host the first two rounds of playoff games.
“It’s nice to have home-court advantage,” agreed USC head coach Danny Holzer.
Holzer said he thought the basketball steering committee got the pairings right.
“I have no complaints,” he said. “We lost to Lebo and the committee had to make a decision. We did not play well and they played great defense.
“It would be something to play them again if that’s the next team up,” Holzer added. “It’s a great rivalry and a high-level game but we both have to get past the first round.”
The Panthers enter the postseason with a 15-7 overall record.
After the loss to Lebo, the Panthers succumbed to Seneca Valley, 49-46, but beat Winchester Thurston, 88-63.
Tanner O’Grady, who fired in 32 points against Winchester Thurston, is USC’s top scorer with a 17-point average. Mike Pellicci, Devin Hall and Porter Rauch also provide scoring balance.
Penn-Trafford finished fourth in Section 3 with a 4-6 record. The Warriors have lost five of their last seven games.
They are, however, a concern for the Panthers.
“They are a hard-nosed, scrappy team,” said Holzer. “They have a lot of veteran guards so we need to keep them from driving and getting the open threes. We need to play good defense.
“For our part, we need to leave it all out there because it’s the playoffs and anything can happen,” he added. “You can’t take anything for granted. You have to play well to win or else you’re one and done.”
Meanwhile, Lebo is quite familiar with its first-round opponent. The Blue Devils defeated Hempfield, 64-33, Jan. 21. The Spartans tied Penn-Trafford for the fourth and final playoff spot in Section 3.
“The playoffs are different,” David said. “You never know when the last (game) will be. You have to come prepared to play and be ready to take a team’s best shot.”
The Blue Devils are playing their best basketball at the right time, after winning four straight and seven of their last nine games.
Christian Powers and Christian Mallon are the top scorers, averaging 11 and 10 points per game for the Blue Devils.
Joey Peters dominates both ends of the court for Lebo, averaging nine points and as many rebounds.
Lucas Garofoli also is critical to the Blue Devils’ outside attack. His 8.5-scoring average includes many 3-point field goals.
“I’m really proud of these guys. They have come through this season and kept our streak alive,” David said in reference to the team’s six straight section titles.
“We continue to get better and try to be the best team we can become. We don’t have a go-to guy and that is what makes this team run. They work well together.
“If we continue to execute our pressure defense and improve our offense, then we could make a run. We are working on all facets or our game in order to prepare for Hempfield. Right now that is our concern. We are not worried about anything beyond that.”
North Hills (22-0) earned the No. 1 seed in the Class 6A tournament followed by Fox Chapel (21-1) and Central Catholic (17-5). All received first-round byes and will play in the quarterfinals set for Feb. 25.
The Foxes await the outcome of the game between Bethel Park (16-6) and Pine-Richland (11-11). The Rams host the Black Hawks at 7 p.m. Feb. 22.
South Fayette (14-8) will host Shaler (13-9) at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 in the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A boys basketball tournament.
The Lions are seeded seventh in the tournament and could face New Castle (20-1) in the quarterfinals on Feb. 24 if they beat the Titans.
New Castle is the defending Class 5A champions and the tournament’s No. 2 seed behind Laurel Highlands.
The Lions finished runner-up to the Red Hurricane in Section 2 with a 6-4 record.
Meanwhile, Chartiers Valley (8-14) will travel to Penn Hills (17-4) for its playoff opener at 7 p.m. Feb. 21.
The Colts were district runner-ups to New Castle last year. They finished tied with West Allegheny for the fourth and final playoff spot in Section 2 2 with a 5-5 record.
CV’s freshman sensational, Jayden Davis, led all-scorers in the division with a 27.2 points per game.