Mt. Lebanon girls use fourth quarter surge to bounce Norwin in WPIAL quarterfinals

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 23, 2018 | 9:48 PM

Mt. Lebanon has had Norwin's number in girls basketball lately. But stay tuned, because you never know when one or the other will get hot. Right now, the Blue Devils enjoy the upper hand after notching their third consecutive victory in the series Friday night.

Haley Sabol scored 16 points and Alyssa Hyland added 15 to lead No. 5 Mt. Lebanon past No. 4 Norwin, 53-40, in a WPIAL Class 6A quarterfinal at Peters Township.

The Blue Devils (13-11), who defeated the Knights in the season opener, move on to the semifinals on Tuesday against top-seeded and unbeaten North Allegheny at a site to be determined.

The game also was a rematch of a 2017 quarterfinal, won by Mt. Lebanon, 47-44, and followed a year in which Norwin (12-10) defeated Mt. Lebanon in the WPIAL quarterfinals and in the PIAA first round in 2016.

“Listen, they've knocked us out before,” Mt. Lebanon coach Dori Oldaker said. “We've got similar programs. They had us on our heels for a while tonight, but we persevered and stayed the course.”

Mt. Lebanon, which trailed by a point at halftime, pulled away on a 20-9 run covering the fourth quarter. The Blue Devils were 19 for 26 from the free-throw line compared to Norwin's 3-for-10 showing.

“We knew, because of our lack of size, we had to be physical,” Norwin coach Brian Brozeski said. “I guess we were a little too physical. Blame me for that.”

Jayla Wehner scored 11 points and Magan Polczynski added 10 points for Norwin, which has won two WPIAL championships in the past 10 years, one less than Mt. Lebanon.

“If I could take the heart of the kids we have now and apply it to this program year-in and year-out, we'll be successful more times than not,” Brozeski said.

The victory also assured Mt. Lebanon a spot in the PIAA playoffs, where the Blue Devils were beaten last season in the second round by North Allegheny. Norwin also will advance if Mt. Lebanon wins the WPIAL title.

After trailing 18-17 at halftime, the teams remained close until Mt. Lebanon scored seven consecutive points in the fourth quarter to take control. Two free throws by Hyland ignited the run and broke a 36-36 tie.

The Blue Devils' size advantage proved to be too much for Norwin.

“They're a great team,” Oldaker said of the Knights. “They took away our inside game and frustrated us. I give them credit because they've been a tough out for us all along.”

Nora Kogan, with 11 points, also scored in double figures for Mt. Lebanon.

Norwin finished off the first quarter with a flurry. Three consecutive 3-point shots by Danielle Rosso, Wehner and Olivia Gribble gave the Knights a 13-9 lead, and they held on for an 18-17 advantage at halftime.

Mt. Lebanon scored six points to start the second half and take a 24-18 lead before Norwin regrouped and trailed by just 33-31 after three quarters.

But Mt. Lebanon used its size and muscled its way to the foul line in the fourth quarter, where the Blue Devils converted 11 of 14 attempts, and clinched the victory, their third in a row and fourth in the past five games.

“We didn't look too good there in the second quarter (Mt. Lebanon scored just five points.),” Oldaker said. “I think we're capable of playing better. We're going to have to.”

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Mt. lebanon, Norwin