Mt. Lebanon pushing to top
Tough schedule has readied team for section grind
Typically, it is a four-team scramble for first place that comes down to the final game of the season in Class 6A Section 3.
That won’t be the case this year as two teams, Mt. Lebanon and Peters Township, have risen above the rest with Mt. Lebanon emerging as the team to beat.
“There is a ton of parity in our section,” Blue Devils coach Dori Oldaker said. “With only having six teams, it makes it even tougher this year. Anyone can knock out anyone on any given night. It is a tough, strong section with great coaches.”
To this point, no one has been able to knock off the Class 6A No. 4 Blue Devils (12-3, 5-0), who are coming off a 56-37 win at home against Upper St. Clair.
Although the Blue Devils have proven to this point to be one of the top contenders in Class 6A, Oldaker still believes there are more experienced teams and ones that are playing better basketball at the moment.
“I still think Pine-Richland, North Allegheny are the strongest teams and will be the toughest to beat during playoff time,” Oldaker said. “They have the edge.”
Mt. Lebanon put together a grueling non-section schedule, including competing in the North Allegheny Tip Off tournament, where it went 2-1. The Blue Devils started the season with wins against previously ranked Chartiers Valley and District 10 powerhouse Villa Maria before losing to Class 6A No. 3 Penn Hills.
“Those were great games for us and great competition,” Oldaker said. “We consider every game and every challenge an opportunity to get better. We don’t schedule an easy schedule. We want to challenge ourselves.
“Going into that tournament, I wouldn’t have been surprised if we were 0-3. I was pleasantly surprised we won two games.”
Those weren’t the only tough games on Mt. Lebanon’s schedule to this point. The Blue Devils also have wins against Class 4A No. 3 Blackhawk, Class 5A No. 3 South Fayette, and Class 6A No. 5 Peters Township.
The key to the Blue Devils’ success has been their stingy defense. Mt. Lebanon is only giving up 44 points per game through 15 games.
“We really focus on defense in practice,” Oldaker said. “We believe in the defensive mentality and doing a lot of drills.”
Offensively, the Blue Devils have been led by seniors McKenzie Bushee and Kate Sramac. Bushee — a Stony Brook commit — led the team in scoring with 16.7 points per game through the first 11 games. Sramac — a Cornell commit — has moved into the point guard position this year and has proven to be the facilitator that the Blue Devils needed.
“I think Kenzie would tell you that Sramac is the quarterback and she is the wide receiver,” Oldaker said. “We have made [Kate] into a point guard by trade. She has played every position on the floor. We thought she had the best handle, court vision and strong basketball IQ so it worked out.”
Oldaker, who is in her 14th year as coach, is trying to get the Blue Devils back to their glory days from 20082012 when they went to five consecutive PIAA championships, including winning three in a row.
Although they may not be there yet, Oldaker has the Blue Devils on the right track.
“I can’t say we are playing our best at this time,” she said. “We have been playing through some adversity with some illnesses. We have battled through it and got some big W’s for us. I am not sure we are there yet. I do believe we are improving and getting better each game.”
Mt. Lebanon will be back in action Saturday when it travels to three-time defending state champion Cumberland Valley.