Mt. Lebanon on top
Blue Devils edge Butler, hold Morton in check
Mt. Lebanon blew out Butler in a nonsection game in December. Three months later, the rematch was much closer.
And it had much more meaning. Mt. Lebanon won the WPIAL Class 6A championship with a 62-57 victory against Butler Saturday night at Petersen Events Center. It was the third title for the Blue Devils under coach Joe David and Mt. Lebanon kept Butler from winning its first championship since 1991.
Mt. Lebanon put a stop to the Ethan Morton train. Morton had been terrific in the playoffs for Butler as the star 6foot-6 point guard scored 32 and 40 points in the past two games. But Mt. Lebanon (22-3) made it tough for Morton to score. Mt. Lebanon’s full-court press took the ball out of Morton’s hands often, and Mt. Lebanon double-teamed him some when
he got the ball in a half-court offense.
Still, Morton, who averages 28 points, finished with 21 and 14 rebounds as Pitt coach Jeff Capel watched from the seats. Pitt is one of the many big-time colleges that has offered Morton a scholarship. Freshman Devin Carney scored 13 for Butler.
“He only scored 12 at our place the first time,” David said of Morton. “The scary part is a kid of that caliber wants to come out and do well.”
When asked if Mt. Lebanon made it hard on Morton, David said, “That’s our job. We do what we do. We ran at him and we wanted to make him work for his points. I thought he did.”
Morton took the loss hard. Twenty minutes after the game, after Morton had dressed, he was hugging his parents near court with tears in his eyes. Morton made 8 of 15 shots.
“Morton’s a great player,” said Mt. Lebanon senior guard Sean Loughran. “We knew we had to corral him. They’ve got other shooters, too. But our main focus was him and I think we took care of business.”
Loughran, a 6-4 senior guard, led Mt. Lebanon with 21 points. Junior guard Jake Hoffman added 19 and senior guard Mike Palmer 11. Hoffman had five 3-pointers and Loughran three.
“Ever since last year when we lost in the semifinals, we knew we had to come back to the same point this year and just finish this time,” Loughran said. “That’s what we did and it’s great.”
Mt. Lebanon was certainly efficient on offense, committing only five turnovers. Mt. Lebanon led at halftime, 30-26.
Mt. Lebanon held a 47-46 lead heading into the final quarter. A key part of the game was in the fourth quarter after Mattix Clement hit a 3-pointer with 6:01 left to bring Butler (20-5) within 5149. Mt. Lebanon then patiently passed the ball around the outside against Butler’s zone defense. Mt. Lebanon held the ball, took a shot, got an offensive rebound, took a shot, got an offensive rebound and then got a 3pointer from Jake Hoffman with 3:35 left in the game.
Hoffman then got a steal and a layup to give Mt. Lebanon a 56-49 advantage.
“My guys were tired and we had two with four fouls,” David said. “We thought if we shorten the game up, we’ll be OK. Then Jake hit the big 3.”
But Butler didn’t fold. The Golden Tornado cut the lead to 58-55 and had two chances to tie on one possession, but 3pointers by Morton and Carney hit off the rim. Mt. Lebanon rebounded and Hayden Mitchell made two free throws with 25.7 seconds left to give the Blue Devils a 60-55 lead.
Luke Patten scored 12 points for Butler. He was hurt in Thursday’s semifinals late in the game when he tried to block a shot, flipped over a player and hit his head when he landed. He was taken off the court on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. But Patten was released from the hospital Thursday night and started the game Saturday.
But this night belonged to Mt. Lebanon.
“It’s been nine years since we won and the appreciation for being here and winning it … it’s unbelievable,” David said. “I’ve been doing this for 18 years and these are some of the hardest-working guys we have had.
“I’m so proud of them, the coaches and happy for the community. Sometimes, we don’t get our due, but this is what it’s all about.”
Both teams begin play in the PIAA tournament Saturday. Mt. Lebanon plays the No. 5 team from District 3 (Harrisburg area). Butler plays the No. 4 team from District 3.
Mt. Lebanon’s win also brought Fox Chapel into the PIAA playoffs as the No. 5 team from the WPIAL.