New Pittsburgh Courier
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SPORTS
MARCH 10-16, 2010
www.newpittsburghcourier.com
Mt. Lebanon achieves rare feat capturing
boys and girls WPIAL AAAA crowns
by Smokin’ Jim Frazier
season. Droney drilled a onships. Trojans 11 consecutive “We wanted to play Mt. athletic standpoint.”
For New Pittsburgh Courier
game-winning 3-point The biggest upset of the games, but this one was Lebanon again,” said All- With Gateway, Mt. Leb-
shoot with less than 10 tournament was the 57-31 never even close. derdice coach Andre Mc- anon, Allderdice, Chartiers
The Gateway boys basket- seconds remaining to give blowout by Vincentian over
Gateway is not the only Donald. “We are looking Valley and Sewickley
ball team was flying high a Sewickley Academy a 49- North Catholic in the girls’
team that wants to face Mt. forward to playing Gateway Academy all entering the
week ago after finally earn- 48 victory over Lincoln WPIAL class A champi-
Lebanon again. City Lea- next week and we are one of PIAA state tournament.
ing its first trip to the Park and back-to-back onship. Vincentian had lost
gue champion Allderdice is the few teams that match March Madness is alive and
WPIAL championship in WPIAL class AAA champi- to the North Catholic Lady
looking for respect. up well with them from an well in “Six-burgh.”
school history. That mo-
ment of excitement was re-
placed with a dose of reality
after experiencing a heart-
breaking 57-51 loss to Mt.
Lebanon in the Class AAAA
final last Saturday night at
the Palumbo Center. Evan
Pierce, a Wagner recruit,
led Mt. Lebanon with 21
points all in the second half.
With the Gators carrying
as many as five Division I
prospects on their roster,
the sky is truly the limit for
this bunch.
This kind of talent in gen-
eral, let alone on one team,
hasn’t been seen in these
parts too often, if ever, in re-
cent years. Schenley’s run
with DeJuan and Greg
Blair, D. J. Kennedy, Dean-
dre Kane and Jamaal
Bryant a couple years back
was the rare exception.
The Gators’ top five are
actually taller than Pitt’s BARNETT HARRIS from Gateway stuffs two
starting five at every spot. against Mt. Lebanon.
In his fifth year as head
coach, Mitch Adams has
slowly but surely turned
around the basketball pro-
gram at a school that has a
well-earned reputation as a
football powerhouse, hav-
ing dominated Class AAAA
for most of the past several
decades.
Tough love has always
been Adams’ calling card.
He’s an in-your-face drill
sergeant and it’s his way or
the highway.
The silver lining is that
the Gators have qualified
PHOTOS BY WILLIAM McBRIDE
for the PIAA state playoffs
and are looking forward to
EVAN PIERCE from Mt. Lebanon holds off Gateway’s Anthony Smallwood Keel as he drives to the hoop. Pierce scored
21 points to lead the Blue Devils to a 57-51 win over the Gators.
facing Mt. Lebanon again.
“We are a very young team
that is capable of playing
some great basketball,” said
assistant coach Marvin
Wright. “We play the City
champion Allderdice next
week. If we get hot we are
capable defeating any team
DEION TURMAN from Mt. Lebanon shoots over
in the state.” two Gateway defenders in the Blue Devils 57-51
Anna Kestler, a talented win over the Gators.
junior guard for Mt. Leb-
anon, the No. 1 ranked
team in the state, and No. 7
ranked team in the nation,
led her team to a 59-43 vic-
tory against No. 3 Baldwin.
Her father, Hal, is Seton-La
Salle’s coach.
“Mt. Lebanon is a great
team,” said MSA announcer
Jonathan Whaley. “But
next year watch out for
Baldwin with Belma Nur-
kic and speedy Taylor
Wentzel both coming back.”
T.J. McConnell, a Duqu-
esne University recruit, led
Chartiers Valley to a 63-50
WPIAL AAA championship
victory over Hampton. Mc-
Connell scored 34 points
and have scored 144 points
CARRINGTON MOTLEY from Sewickley Academy goes DEVONTE WATSON, a 6-9 sophomore for Lincoln Park,
in four WPIAL playoff
up for two of his 10 points in the Panthers thrilling 49-48 scored 11 points and had 14 blocked shots but it was not
game, three points shy of
win over Lincoln Park Charter School in the WPIAL class enough to keep Sewickley Academy from winning back-
the record for most points in
AAA championship game. to-back WPIAL class AAA championships.
a tournament set by Penn
Hills’ Drew Schifino in 2000.
Behind super sophomore
KETURAH VACTOR of Vincentian puts up a run-
Kaylynn Waters 33 points,
ning one-hander against North Catholic. Vactor
New Castle defeated Hope- scored 20 points to lead the Royals to a 57-31
well in triple overtime to upset win in the girls’ WPIAL class A champi-
capture the girls’ WPIAL onship.
class AAA championship.
The Scarlet-and-Gold of
North Catholic took the
“long way” to win back-to-
back WPIAL class AA
championships. Coach
Dave Long ordered his son
and nephew, Martin, and
Jesse Long to play “sic ’em”
defense against the
Rochester Rams. The Tro-
jans earned a hard fought
51-48 victory.
Behind Kayla Cook, a
Coastal Carolina recruit,
Jeannette defeated Seton-
La Salle 39-36 with Rose
Bowl MVP quarterback
Terrelle Pryor cheering
them on. “I feel pretty good
and my knee is nearly 100
percent healthy,” said
Pryor. “Right after the sea-
son I got some minor
surgery on my knee.”
Tom Droney, a Davidson
recruit, tied a WPIAL
championship record when
T.J. McCONNELL from Chartiers Valley scored 34 points WAYNE CAPERS, who injured his ankle during football
to lead the Colts to a 63-50 win over Hampton in the season, was back in action, scoring 16 points for
he scored 40 points in the
RON MONCRIEF, Vincentian head coach, guided
WPIAL AAA championship game. Chartiers Valley in their 63-50 win over Hampton. the Royals to their first WPIAL title since 2002.
championship game last
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