After three years of devastating semifinal losses, the Mt. Lebanon boys\u2019 basketball team is on the hunt for its first WPIAL championship since 2019. With four returning starters and a developing young bench, the goal isn\u2019t just returning to the semifinals \u2014 it\u2019s finishing the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior captain and four-year varsity player Liam Sheely opened the season with 22 points against Allderdice in the North Hills Tournament. Sheely earned first-team all-section honors in both his sophomore and junior seasons and was the team\u2019s leading scorer last year. As a sophomore, he scored a career-high 30 points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After missing the first half of last season with a broken hand and losing his senior AAU season to a dislocated shoulder, Sheely said he is ready to give everything to his final year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cComing back from that both mentally and physically was very challenging, but it\u2019s exciting to be healthy again,\u201d Sheely said. \u201cIt\u2019s the most important year and the last chance for all of us seniors to win something big for ourselves and our teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sheely said he wants to showcase more than his scoring this season, after averaging 17.6 points per game last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEveryone knows I can shoot, but I want to pass, rebound and defend better than I have in the past few years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Junior Santino Fiumara returns after providing a major spark last season, including a game-winning layup with 4.7 seconds left to upset Central Catholic 50\u201348. He said the competitiveness of daily practices pushes the team to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery day when we play, it gets very competitive, and everyone on the team is looking for a spot to play,\u201d Fiumara said. \u201cEveryone is trying to bring their best every day, and when you\u2019re playing against good competition, it also helps you start playing better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fiumara hopes to become one of the team\u2019s top defenders while also bringing consistent energy to practices and games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both Sheely and Fiumara said the team\u2019s shared goal is clear: win a WPIAL title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have fallen short of it the last two years,\u201d Fiumara said. \u201cBut this year, we have the pieces to go all the way and come out with a championship. The team isn\u2019t expecting anything less, and we all have the same goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sheely described this year\u2019s group with one word \u2014 ready \u2014 reflecting the confidence and chemistry that have formed during the offseason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe best way to describe this year\u2019s team is ready,\u201d Sheely said. \u201cEveryone seems to have the same goals for the season and the same drive in practice. We\u2019re returning a lot of guys from last year, so everyone has experience and knows what it takes to be good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fiumara agreed, noting how the seniors\u2019 leadership has strengthened the team both on and off the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe most important thing the seniors have taught me is to stay together,\u201d Fiumara said. \u201cEveryone has been playing together ever since youth basketball. Almost every day we\u2019re doing something after practice, so I\u2019ve learned that once you build a bond with the people you play with, it can translate on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sheely hopes to continue his basketball career in college, but his main focus this season is playing for his teammates, many of whom are competing in their final year of organized basketball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe thought that these games are some of my teammates\u2019 last games of organized basketball they\u2019ll ever play just makes each game so much more important,\u201d Sheely said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fiumara said younger players can make an impact by bringing effort and intensity every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlways show up bringing everything you\u2019ve got,\u201d he said. \u201cMake not only yourself, but the people around you better. Try to push everyone around you to be better every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sheely also encouraged younger players to embrace every moment and learn from each opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust have fun, work hard and don\u2019t make excuses,\u201d Sheely said. \u201cIt goes by way faster than you think, so make as many memories as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both players emphasized the value of staying united through challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve all been through a lot of ups and downs in previous seasons, and we\u2019ve stayed strong going through it together,\u201d Fiumara said. \u201cI\u2019m proud to be part of the basketball family here at Lebo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sheely agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo matter what happens on the court, I\u2019ll remember this season as some of the most fun times in my life,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing more fun than being on a team with a bunch of guys who are all as close as we are.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Experienced core and rising juniors aim to break through after three straight semifinal losses<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":35048,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"nfd_image_url":"","nfd_onboarding_generated":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-high-school"],"yoast_head":"\n