Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week for Feb. 24, 2025

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 | 1:17 AM

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Trib HSSN girls basketball team of the week – Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils

Coach: Mark “Knobby” Walsh (first season)

Record: 5-5 in Section 2-6A, 14-9 overall

#Earned: The coach known more by his nickname “Knobby” wasn’t looking to leave his alma mater as Seton LaSalle’s boys coach for the last 13 years, but when the girls basketball head coaching position opened up at Mt. Lebanon, the veteran district coach jumped at the chance. Through one regular season and one postseason game, both sides are glad he did. The Blue Devils defeated Class 4A powers Blackhawk and North Catholic in their first two games before suffering the first of two three-game losing streaks this season. However, the second half of the regular season saw wins stacking up more consistently as Mt. Lebanon won four straight and finished going 6-2 in its last eight games to clinch a playoff berth with a fourth-place finish in Section 2-6A. In the quarterfinals of the eight-team Class 6A girls basketball playoffs, Lebo jumped out early against host Seneca Valley, leading by six points are one quarter and taking a five-point advantage into the locker room at halftime. The Blue Devils extended their lead to 11 points over the Raiders after three quarters before the Section 1 champs mounted a fourth-quarter comeback and tied the game 42-42 at the end of regulation. Mt. Lebanon bounced back, though, and won the game in overtime to advance to the semifinals, 47-45.

Scoring stars: Blue Devils senior guard Payton Collins led the team in scoring this season with 338 points for an average of 15.4 points per game. In the overtime win at Seneca Valley, she was held to 12 points after the Raiders went out of their way to slow her down on offense. However, that opened the door for 5-foot-10 sophomore Cali Green. She led the way with a game-high 19 points at Mt. Lebanon returns to the district semifinals for the first time since 2023.

Last year: It was an up-and-down season for the Mt. Lebanon girls basketball program a year ago. The team never won more than two games in a row, yet never lost more than three straight games. The team ended the regular season at 12-10 overall and finished tied for second place in Section 2-6A with Chartiers Valley, four games behind runaway section champion Peters Township. The Blue Devils’ postseason experience was one and done as they lost in the quarterfinals at home to Chartiers Valley in the rubber game of their season series, 34-26.

Remember when: Fifteen years ago, Mt. Lebanon was in the middle of its dominance in Class 4A at both the district and state levels. The Blue Devils nearly captured four straight WPIAL championships in winning gold in 2009 (50-24 over Fox Chapel), 2010 (59-43 over Baldwin) and 2012 (58-49 over Oakland Catholic). They were the favorites in 2011 but were stunned in the Quad-A finals by Shaler, 41-36. Over that same time period, they became only the second WPIAL girls basketball program to win three straight PIAA championships when they defeated Cardinal O’Hara, Archbishop Ryan and Archbishop Carroll to win the 2009, 2010 and 2011 state crowns. The 2009 team finished with a perfect record of 30-0. Three years ago, in the final season for soon-to-be WPIAL Hall of Famer Dori Oldaker’s tenure as Blue Devils coach, the team earned a fourth district title with a victory over rival Upper St. Clair in the 2022 6A finals, 55-44.

2025 Trib HSSN Girls Basketball Teams of the Week

Week 7 – Mars Fightin’ Planets

Week 6 – South Fayette Lions

Week 5 – Oakland Catholic Eagles

Week 4 – Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Chargers

Week 3 – Penn-Trafford Warriors

Week 2 – Shady Side Academy Bulldogs

Week 1 – Shaler Titans

Tags: Mt. lebanon