Jan 13, 2017 3 min read

McMURRAY – This showdown for first place most definitely lived up to its billing.

The Mt. Lebanon and Peters Township boys basketball teams staged a showdown Friday night and did not disappoint those in attendance. When the dust settled, the Blue Devils leaped into the catbird seat in Class 6-A Section 2 with a pulsating 60-59 overtime win over the Indians.

The visiting Blue Devils (4-1, 7-7) used a suffocating zone press defense to take control early and withstood a 17-2 Peters Township run late to earn the hard-fought victory.

“I’m so proud of my guys, they never quit, never gave up,” Blue Devils coach Joe David said. “We just hung in there and made the plays we needed to make to win the game.”

Mt. Lebanon was paced by four double-digit scorers. Antonio Garofoli and Sean Loughran led the way with 13 points apiece while Caden Hinckley and Mark Lamendola each chipped in with 12.

Garofoli’s driving layup with 14 seconds remaining in overtime provided the winning margin.

Michael Cortese finished with 16 points for the Indians (3-2, 10-4). Dax Ploskina and Conor Pederson contributed 15 and 13 points, respectively. Cortese’s layup gave the Indians the lead late in the extra frame before Garofoli’s bucket sealed the deal for the visitors.

Ploskina had a three-point attempt at the buzzer that fell short. Cortese’s putback attempt came after the buzzer.

The Blue Devils’ defense set the tone early forcing turnovers and bad shots as the normally high-scoring Indians were held to one field goal in their first eight shots. But Pederson got the hosts going with a 25-foot three-point shot to pull the Indians within three at the end of the first quarter.

Mt Lebanon continued to hold the Indians at arms length as they carried a 27-24 lead into halftime.

Two Jake Cortes layups gave the Indians their first lead early in the third quarter at 28-27. But a 9-0 Mt. Lebanon run gave the visitors a 41-33 advantage midway through the quarter. The Blue Devils managed to carry a seven-point lead into the final quarter.

It was then that Peters Township made its push as Michael Cortese and Ploskina spearheaded a spurt that saw a 43-36 Devils lead turn into a 53-45 Indians lead miday through the fourth quarter. But a Hinckley block of a Pederson layup attempt turned momentum and sent the Blue Devils on their way.

“He’s come a long way,” David said in reference to Hinckley. “From being cut his freshman year to now, he’s improved so much. He played so big tonight and we needed it.”

Peters Township coach Gary Goga said it was not one play that swung the momentum, it was a teamwise malaise that helped cost the Indians their lead.

“We just didn’t take care of the ball at all towards the end and that is on me,” Goga said.

The Blue Devils forced four consecutive turnovers and held the Indians scoreless the final half of the quarter. Lamendola’s two foul shots tied the score at 53. Cortese had a chance to win the game late with a free throw that he eventually missed. Cortes missed the putback, sending the game to overtime.

Goga was clearly irritated at how the game ended with his team seemingly in control and poised to take over sole possession of first place in the section.

“I just have to a better job in preparing them,” Goga said afterwards. “It’s my fault. Credit to Coach David and them. They’re a great team. That’s a great program. We just lost.”