Basketball Game Preview: Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils vs. New Castle Hurricanes

The Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils will challenge the New Castle Hurricanes at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Mt. Lebanon comes in on five and New Castle on eight.

Mt. Lebanon is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They beat Imani Christian Academy by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 64-61. Given the Blue Devils' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 35th, while the Saints are ranked 94th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, New Castle got the win against Butler on Thursday by a conclusive 64-43. The Hurricanes have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won ten matchups by 20 points or more this season.

New Castle's win came from a few key players Mt. Lebanon will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kai Cox, who went 6-for-11 on his way to 16 points in addition to seven boards and six assists. The team also got some help courtesy of Damian Harrison, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Mt. Lebanon's record is now 19-7. As for New Castle, their record is now 20-3.

Things could have been worse for Mt. Lebanon, but things could have been a whole lot better as they took a 58-42 loss to New Castle when the teams last played back in February of 2023. Can Mt. Lebanon avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.