Colts Face Tall Task Against Lebo

It isn’t very often that you get a semifinal playoff game that features two defending WPIAL champions. But when Chartiers Valley and the second-seeded Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils take the court at Baldwin High School at 8 p.m. Wednesday, that’s exactly what will take place. The Blue Devils defeated Gateway last season to win the Class AAAA WPIAL championship, while Chartiers Valley upended Hampton to capture the Class AAA championship. And while Mt. Lebanon may have defeated the Colts in both meetings this season, No. 6 seed Chartiers Valley appears to be playing its best basketball now with the return of guard Wayne Capers.

“I saw what happened with our guys in practice before the playoffs and I knew anything was possible,” coach Tim McConnell said. “We have to emphasize staying in front of these guys and not allowing them to get to the rim for easy baskets. I’m hoping with Wayne and Spencer (Casson) in the lineup a lot, it will be a different outcome for us.”

THE RULE OF “3”

It doesn’t happen very often in high school basketball, but when teams square off three times in a single season, the same team rarely wins all three meetings. Just ask No. 1 seed Shaler, which defeated section rival Butler twice in the regular season, but then fell to the ninth-seeded Bulldogs in last week’s quarterfinals round. A similar scenario arises in this semifinals game, as this season, including for the Colts at Mt. Lebanon. However, Mt. Lebanon, did defeat Upper St. Clair three times last season en route to a WPIAL championship.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

Since 1997, the A.J. Palumbo Center has been Chartiers Valley’s home away from home, as the Colts have appeared in six WPIAL championship games and won five of those matchups. With a win Wednesday night, Chartiers Valley will be looking to make its first Class AAAA WPIAL championship appearance since winning the title in the 2003-04 season. A Blue Devils win will put Mt. Lebanon one step closer to being the first repeat champion in Class AAAA since New Castle won three consecutive titles from 1997-99.

THE X FACTOR

While Mt. Lebanon is a strong team defensively, the Blue Devils are susceptible to teams with great athletes, as Penn Hills proved in round one. The return of Capers for Chartiers Valley could be the difference in the game for the Colts. Capers gives Chartiers Valley an athletic guard who is extremely hard to stay in front of, as well as a dangerous fast-break threat when breaking the press. If Mt. Lebanon attempts to press against the Colts, which it almost certainly will do, the junior guard could make life difficult for the Blue Devils.

PREDICTION

One of Mt. Lebanon’s two losses this season came at home to North Allegheny, the team that Chartiers Valley just beat in the quarterfinals. While that theory doesn’t always hold strong, it can prove to be a huge confidence boost for the Colts heading into their third showdown of the season with the Blue Devils. The Colts proved against North Allegheny that they can win a grind-it-out type of game, and will most certainly need to do the same if they plan to beat Mt. Lebanon. But with the return of Capers, and Chartiers Valley playing its best basketball of the season, the Colts will defeat Mt. Lebanon 53-48 and earn a spot in the WPIAL championship game that will be held Saturday night on the Duquesne campus.

Remember Colts fans, you are the team’s sixth man. Show up Wednesday night at 8 p.m. at Baldwin, and cheer your team on to a WPIAL championship appearance. Also, check back with Patch.com tomorrow for an in-depth look at Chartiers Valley practice, as the Colts prepare to play Mt. Lebanon.