Leechburg rallies for double-overtime win over Eden Christian

By: Jerin Steele
Friday, March 5, 2021 | 10:25 PM

In a double overtime thriller, No. 6 Leechburg upset No. 3 Eden Christian 45-40 in the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals Friday night at Sewickley Academy.

The Blue Devils (9-4) advanced to the semifinals and will play top-seeded Rochester at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Owen McDermott, Eli Rich and Marcus Cleveland scored two points apiece for the Blue Devils in the second extra frame to help Leechburg steal a victory after a difficult start.

The Blue Devils had only two points in the first quarter and eight points in the first half but played well enough defensively to stay in the game. Eden Christian took a 16-8 lead into halftime.

The game turned when Malachi Manges was given a technical foul at 3:51 of the third quarter. Braylan Lovelace hit two free throws for the technical and then Cleveland hit a pair of free throws for the original foul called prior to the technical. After Leechburg inbounded the ball, Rich scored on a rebound for a defacto six-point possession that cut the Eden Christian lead to 25-23.

Rich led the Blue Devils with 17 points. Elijah Manges had 21 points for the Warriors.

Dylan Cook hit a 3-pointer that gave Leechburg its first lead early in the fourth quarter. Elijah Manges responded with a 3-pointer to get the game to overtime.

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Eden Christian, Leechburg