YouTube: Smith Honors Mt. Lebanon Girls Basketball Team

P-G: Chester tops Mt. Lebanon in overtime, 72-60

Underdog Mt. Lebanon had extended Chester into overtime. Then Mt. Lebanon blinked.

All of a sudden, Chester sprinted up the stairway to seven.

Mt. Lebanon put up a valiant effort against the consensus No. 1 team in the state, but Chester's minute-and-a-half spurt in overtime turned a close game into a double-digit lead and Chester went on to a 72-60 victory in the PIAA Class AAAA title game Saturday night at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11086/1135181-361.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

P-G: Mt. Lebanon earns three-peat, beats Archbishop Carroll, 47-46

Third time is just as charming.

The Mt. Lebanon girls basketball team won its third consecutive PIAA Class AAAA championships with a 47-46 victory Friday night against Archbishop Carroll at Bryce Jordan Center, becoming the seventh girls team to win three titles in a row.

"They get better as they go," Mt. Lebanon senior Madison Cable said. "I love every single one of them, don't get me wrong, but this one's just different."

Read the full article:

• www.postgazette.com/pg/11085/1134958-361.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

P-G: Kestler, Cable trying to lead Mt. Lebanon to third title in a row

The PIAA history book is open. Pages are blank, possibly the spot for the Mt. Lebanon girls basketball team.

Madison Cable and Anna Kestler could be co-authors of this chapter.

Mt. Lebanon plays in the PIAA Class AAAA championship game tonight at Penn State against Archbishop Carroll of Philadelphia. With a win, Mt. Lebanon will become only the second girls team in WPIAL history to win three PIAA titles in a row. North Catholic won three in Class AAA from 1993-95. No WPIAL boys team has won three in a row.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11084/1134485-361.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

P-G: Mt. Lebanon senior attains goal -- a state title in 500 freestyle

Four years ago Mt. Lebanon's John Nappi qualified for the PIAA championships as a freshman, finishing ninth in the 500-yard freestyle.

Sometime shortly after that, he decided that competing for a gold medal in that event was what he wanted to spend the next three years doing.

Nappi set his goals on a state title but he knew he was likely going to have to wait until his senior year.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11083/1134095-364.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Trib: Mt. Lebanon prevails in overtime

Mt. Lebanon's Tyler Roth made just one field goal and scored only seven points, but that production was invaluable.

"Someone had to make a play, and I just ended up with the ball," said Roth, who made a tying 3-pointer with 45 seconds left to force overtime Wednesday night during Mt. Lebanon's 52-48 victory over Penn Wood in the PIAA Class AAAA semifinals.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_728931.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

P-G: Hungrier than ever, Mt. Lebanon girls a win away from third state title in a row

The Mt. Lebanon girls basketball team is headed back to the PIAA championship game.

That comes as no surprise -- it will be the fourth consecutive year the Blue Devils will be playing for a state title.

The surprise is that this time Mt. Lebanon heads to Penn State as the WPIAL runner-up.

Read the full article:

• www.post-gazette.com/pg/11083/1134086-361.stm (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Trib: Mt. Lebanon moves closer to ultimate goal

Mt. Lebanon girls basketball coach Dori Oldaker looks at her team's journey through the season as a business trip.

"We talk about this being like a job," Oldaker said. "And we like to have a little bit of fun on the job."

Now, after a 62-35 victory over Lower Merion in the PIAA Class AAAA semifinals Tuesday at Chambersburg High School, Mt. Lebanon (24-6) has accrued enough frequent-flyer miles for a trip to Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center. That would be for at 6 p.m. Friday title game against Archbishop Carroll. And the Blue Devils would like nothing better than to earn the ultimate reward — a third consecutive state championship.

Read the full article:

• www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_728712.html (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Mt. Lebanon's Coach Didn't Need A Great Speech To Motivate Players To PIAA Title

Mt. Lebanon softball coach Nicole Fajtak didn't summon her inner Vince Lombardi in the moments before her team took the field at the PIAA Class AAAA championship. She didn't tell her players to win one for the Gipper or that this was the most important game of their lives. Her message was simple.

"I just said to them, 'Look, we've come this far. I know you won't accept anything but winning at this point,'" she said. "There was no great motivational speech, no great words. I just said you won't accept anything else." They didn't.

Read more: www.postgazette.com/pg/10175/1067710-363.stm

Mt. Lebanon Wins PIAA Title Behind Badolato's Perfect Game

Leave it to Geena Badolato to find something wrong with perfection.

After pitching Mt. Lebanon to its first PIAA Class AAAA softball championship by throwing the only perfect game in the final since at least 1984, the senior smiled and said, "I could have hit better."

Maybe -- she was 0 for 2 -- but there was no way she could have pitched better Friday at Shippensburg University's Robb Field. Badolato retired each of the 21 batters she faced, striking out 11 and not allowing a ball out of the infield in a 1-0 victory against District 1 champion Central Bucks South (21-3).

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_686672.html

Mt. Lebanon Softball Team To Play For First State Title Friday

Senior Geena Badolato pitched out of trouble in the first and seventh innings, but was in control the rest of the time while leading the Mt. Lebanon softball team to a 2-1 victory against District 1 runnerup Hatboro-Horsham in a PIAA Class AAAA semifinal today at Robb Field at Shippensburg University.

Mt. Lebanon will play for its first state title at 4 p.m. Friday at Shippensburg. The opponent will be the winner of the other semifinal tonight between District 1 champion Central Bucks South and Governor Mifflin, the runnerup from District. 3.

Read more: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_685958.html

Mt. Lebanon Men Finish Fifth In State During Swimming Finals

Despite only having seven swims at the PIAA championships, Mt. Lebanon finished fifth in the state. In the boys' team standings, the Blue Devils racked up 140 points.

According to head coach Dave Schraven an indication of how well Lebo swam is to compare to the finish of fourth-place squad. Emmaus needed 19 swims to rack up 158 points.

"We improved our time and our seed in every event," Schraven added.

Read more: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-31-2010-swimming

Mt. Lebanon Claims Second Consecutive Title

Now, Mt. Lebanon can breathe.

The state's top-ranked Class AAAA girls' basketball team all season long, Mt. Lebanon won its second consecutive PIAA championship, beating Archbishop Ryan, 70-43, Friday night at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Junior guard Madison Cable scored a career-high 30 points to give the Blue Devils their second state title in school history.

Coach Dori Oldaker said the feeling was "surreal" but said the path to the championship was tough.

Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/10086/1046128-361.stm

Emily Miller, Pittsburgh Female Athlete Of The Week

Miller scored a game-high 21 points, including 15 in the second half, as Mt. Lebanon topped Cardinal O'Hara in the PIAA Class AAA championship game at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center on Friday.

"The game was just incredible," Miller said. "Cardinal O'Hara was a good team with five Division-I players, so it meant a lot to beat them in the state playoffs.

"I really like playing with these girls, and I'm glad I could end my high school career with them."

The Blue Devils finished the season 31-0, was the only unbeaten team in the state this season and the first WPIAL girls team to accomplish the feat since Mt. Alvernia in 1983.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_617638.html

Lebo Girls Capture State Title, Finish Perfect Season

The Mt. Lebanon girls' basketball team is absolutely perfect. The Blue Devils capped off an undefeated season with a 67-58 victory against Cardinal O'Hara of Philadelphia in the PIAA Class AAAA championship tonight at Penn State.

Mt. Lebanon made history with the win. The Blue Devils finished 31-0 and became only the second girls' team from the WPIAL to finish a season undefeated. The other was Mount Alvernia in 1983.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/09079/957231-49.stm

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_617177.html

Girls Basketball: Lebo Advances To Championship Game

In its biggest game of the season to date, the team best known for its stingy defense wasted little time in showing it's capable of providing some offensive fireworks, too.

Scoring the first 10 points of the game, WPIAL champion Mt. Lebanon jumped on District 1 runner-up Cheltenham early and rolled to a 59-45 victory in a PIAA Class AAAA girls' basketball semifinal at Shippensburg University.

The win advances the Blue Devils (30-0) to Friday's 6 p.m. championship game against District 12 champion Cardinal O'Hara (27-2) at Penn State University's Bryce Jordan Center at 6 p.m.

Link: www.post-gazette.com/pg/09077/956418-13.stm

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_616626.html

Lebo Ladies Lose Bid For State Title

Though Mt. Lebanon failed to make history, losing its bid for the school's first-ever state championship in girls basketball; the Blue Devils found consolation in a 28-4 season that ended in a 56-49 defeat to Central Dauphin (28-7) in the PIAA Class AAAA title game.

"We talked about making history," said Lebo coach Dori Oldaker. "But this team gave us a lot of memories; great memories.

"We thank these kids for taking us on this ride. I can't explain how proud I am of these girls and the journey they have made."

Link: www.thealmanac.net/ALM/Story/03-19-lebo-girls-w-PIXS

Mt. Lebanon Counting On Babe

She inherited the nickname "Big Babe" last season when her little sister, Jessica, joined the team.

But Mt. Lebanon senior guard Jackie Babe has been doing big things for the Blue Devils since her sophomore season when she was the sixth man on the WPIAL runner-up team.

Now, Mt. Lebanon (28-3) will need Babe to live up to her name at 6 tonight in the PIAA Class AAAA championship game against Central Dauphin (27-7) at Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center if the Blue Devils want to bring home their first state title.

Link: www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/highschool/s_557184.html