There was a time when Mt. Lebanon didn’t know if it would have its leading scorer available for the playoffs, as sharpshooting junior guard Liam Sheely suffered an injury to his left shoulder in the final regular season game.
Sheely, though, recovered quickly, and after coming off the bench to score 7 points in the team’s first-round win in the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs, the kid with the shoulder ailment shouldered the load in the second half to help the Blue Devils put an end to Imani Christian’s hopes of three-peating as WPIAL and PIAA champions.
Sheely scored a game-high 23 points and No. 6 Mt. Lebanon was excellent from the free-throw line down the stretch as the Blue Devils came from behind to edge No. 3 Imani Christian, 64-61, in a quarterfinal in what was an electric atmosphere at Montour High School.
Mt. Lebanon’s win puts the Blue Devils (17-7) in the semifinals for the fourth season in a row. They will look to reach the final for the first time since 2020 when they take on No. 2 New Castle (20-3) in Monday’s semifinals. Imani Christian (13-8) saw its season come to a disappointing end. The Saints won WPIAL and PIAA Class 1A titles in 2023 and 2024 before voluntarily playing up in Class 6A this season.
In what was a rubber match between Section 2 rivals, Sheely scored only 6 points in the first half before tallying 17 in the second, including four of his five 3-pointers. Sheely, who said he is “basically 100%,” picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench with 1:38 left in the third. But after returning with 6:02 left in the fourth, Sheely hit a pair of big 3-pointers, the second of which gave Mt. Lebanon a 58-56 lead with 1:58 left.
“He was huge,” Mt. Lebanon coach Joe David said. “Look, 10 days ago I didn’t even know he was going to be around. But we have a good training staff and physical therapists and they did what they needed to do to get him in. I thought he played really well. He looked good out here. Sometimes he tried to force some things, but I thought he played a heck of a game. I was calling his number left and right, putting the ball in his hands. I’ll live and die with the ball in his hands.”
David feels similarly about this team’s free-throw shooting. Mt. Lebanon went 15 of 17 from the line, including 6 of 6 in the final minute. After Imani Christian star RJ Sledge scored on a layup to tie the score at 58 with 55 seconds left, Mt. Lebanon freshman Jacob Zaber was fouled and went 2 of 2 from the line. When Mt. Lebanon regained possession after Imani Christian’s Deston Hubbard misfired on a 3-pointer, Zaber was fouled again with 12 seconds remaining, and again hit both to push the Mt. Lebanon advantage to 62-58. Markus Williams drained a 3-pointer with 6 seconds left to pull Imani Christian within one, but Mt. Lebanon’s Carter Gould was fouled and converted both free throws to make the Blue Devils’ lead 64-61 with 5 seconds remaining.
“I never doubt for a minute we’re going to miss a free throw. I know our guys practice it, and I know it’s going to translate it to games,” Sheely said.
Trailing by three points, Imani Christian then got the ball to Sledge, but there was no last-second shot attempt after he lost the ball to Mt. Lebanon’s Santino Fiumara, and the Blue Devils ran out the clock.
Mt. Lebanon did an excellent job defending Sledge, one of the WPIAL’s top players who was trying to win a fourth district title. (He won one at Bishop Canevin his freshman season.) Sledge scored 33 and 26 points in the first two meetings, but on Thursday was limited to 14 points, 8 under his season average. Like Sheely, Sledge picked up his fourth foul late in the third quarter before returning a few minutes into the fourth.
“We tried to trap him on the screens,” David said. “We didn’t do a good job of that in the first half. I thought [Fiumara] did a good job containing him. He’s a hell of a player. He’s a winner. He’s a champion. Guys like that, they’re hard to beat.”
Donovan Gordon led Imani Christian with 15 points, but only 2 of those came in the second half. Kieshaun Demus added 11 points and Williams tacked on 10.
Mt. Lebanon also got a strong performance from 6-foot-5 forward Sam Deibert, who used his size advantage and inside game to score 19 points, including 17 in the first half. Gould finished with 15.
Other Class 6A quarterfinals
• Tyler Robbins (17 points) led four players in double-figures for No. 1 and defending champion Upper St. Clair (21-2), which advanced to the semifinals for the third year in a row with a 63-41 win against visiting No. 9 Woodland Hills (12-12). Nico Gidas added 14 points for Upper St. Clair, which led, 4-3, after one quarter before taking a 25-15 halftime lead. Scoop Smith scored 22 points for Woodland Hills, which was seeking its first trip to the semifinals since 2018.
• After ending the regular season with three straight losses by a combined 8 points, No. 5 Central Catholic (14-9) found itself on the right side of a close game, winning at No. 4 Fox Chapel (16-7), 52-45, to reach the semifinals for the fourth season in a row. Calvin Vento scored 13 points and Christian Williams added 11 for the Vikings, who raced to a 14-6 lead after one quarter and a 26-18 advantage at the half. Caden Kaiser scored 13 points and Ike Moser 11 for Fox Chapel. The Foxes lost in the quarterfinals for the third season in a row.
• No. 2 New Castle (20-3) jumped to a 15-3 first-quarter lead and never looked back on its way to beating visiting No. 7 Butler (16-7) for the third time this season, 63-41. Freshman Kai Cox scored 8 of his game-high 16 points in the first quarter for New Castle, which won its eighth straight. The Red Hurricanes also got 14 apiece from Damien Harrison and Kyrell Harris. Andrew Gettinger and Stainton Forbes each scored 13 points for Butler, which saw its five-game win streak snapped and lost in the quarterfinals for the fourth year in a row.
Class 2A quarterfinals
• For the first time in the playoffs, a No. 1 seed was eliminated, with No. 8 Union (18-6) stunned No. 1 Greensburg Central Catholic (21-3), 44-42, at Shaler. Greensburg was a finalist last season and had reached the semifinals four years in a row. Lucas Stanley scored 14 points for Union, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:35 left. Union outscored Greensburg, 23-18, in the second half. Liam Gallagher and A.J. Tarpley each scored 9 points for the Centurions, who had won six straight.
• In one of the longest games in WPIAL playoff history, No. 4 Neshannock (21-2) outlasted No. 5 Northgate (14-10), 72-64, in four overtimes at Shaler. The game was tied, 48-48, at the end of regulation. Neshannock outscored Northgate, 13-5, in the final overtime. David Kwiat connected on five 3-pointers and scored 27 points for Neshannock, which won its ninth game in a row and reached the semifinals for the third year in a row. Talan Anderton added 18 points, while Kadenne Kemp paced Northgate with 19 points and Desmond Williams chipped in 18.
• No. 2 Sewickley Academy (19-4) led by 18 points at the half and held on for a 48-39 win against No. 7 Chartiers-Houston (20-4) at Peters Township. Lucas Grimsley scored 14 points and Adam Ikamba added 13 for Sewickley, which led, 27-9, at the half. The Panthers, who have not lost to a Class 2A team this season, moved on to the semifinals for the first time since 2019. Nate Gregory scored 23 points for Chartiers-Houston, the Section 3 champion that had won 14 of 15. The Bucs were trying to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2018.
• Jayce Powell scored 18 points and No. 3 Jeannette (21-2) stormed back from a 15-point halftime deficit to beat No. 6 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (18-6), 55-50, at Fox Chapel. OLSH held a 35-20 lead at the half before Jeannette outscored the Chargers, 35-15, in the second half, including 17-4 in the fourth quarter. Markus McGowan added 14 points for Jeannette, which reached its first semifinal since 2021. Vann Kavals paced OLSH with 18 points. The Chargers had won nine of their previous 10 games.
Scoreboard
Class 6A boys
Central Catholic 52, Fox Chapel 45
Mt. Lebanon 64, Imani Christian 61
New Castle 64, Butler 43
Upper St. Clair 63, Woodland Hills 41
Class 2A boys
Jeannette 55, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 50
Neshannock 72, Northgate 64 (4 OT)
Sewickley Academy 48, Chartiers-Houston 39
Union 44, Greensburg Central Catholic 42
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.