Mt. Lebanon's championship tradition in boys' lacrosse came through again in the Blue Devils' 8-6 victory against North Allegheny during the WPSLA Division 1 final at Quaker Valley's Chuck Knox Stadium last Saturday.

This was Mt. Lebanon's second consecutive league title and fifth since 2000. Mt. Lebanon lost the first seven times it played for the league championship during the 1990s, but has since emerged as the premier program in Western Pennsylvania.

"Previous championship-game experience is huge," Blue Devils coach Kee Joe Song said. "It's all about how you handle yourself the night before the big game. The three days before, it's what are you doing? What are you eating and what are you drinking? Our kids know how to prepare for this game."

Mt. Lebanon advanced to the Keystone Cup final tomorrow against Downingtown East. The game will be played at Marple Newton High, outside of Philadelphia.

The Blue Devils defeated Central Pennsylvania champion Manheim Township, 16-14, on Tuesday. Manheim brought a 25-0 record into that match.

North Allegheny, which defeated Mt. Lebanon, 12-11, in overtime during the regular season, was making its first title-game appearance. Previous championship-game experience was a big plus for the Blue Devils. Song said Mt. Lebanon also had an advantage by losing to North Allegheny in the first meeting of the season.

"If you won the game in the regular season, then what are you going to change in the rematch?" Song said. "If you lost, you've got nothing to lose so you change some things up."

For the second year in a row, Lebo won two playoff games against opponents that had defeated the Blue Devils during the regular season.

In addition to paying back North Allegheny, the Blue Devils (13-5) topped Bethel Park in the semifinals, 10-6. The Black Hawks upset Mt. Lebanon in a Division 1 South game, 11-7, on April 11.

Three second-half goals by senior attackman Rob Marasti helped Mt. Lebanon come back from a 5-4 deficit early in the third quarter in the finals.

Jeremy Tissenbaum, who led Mt. Lebanon with 28 goals in the regular season, gave his team a 6-5 lead on an assist from Chip Young with 2:50 left in the quarter. Jameson Hall provided Lebo with its first two-goal lead via a rebound shot 36 seconds later.

North Allegheny cut the deficit to 7-6 with 15 seconds left in the third period. Marasti, however, scored with 6:05 left in the fourth for the final tally of the game.

"Rob is a warrior, that's all I can say about him," Song said. "He's a fiery, explosive kid who is only 5 feet 5, 155 pounds, but he's got the most hits on our team. He puts down guys twice his size. He's so quick and so intense."

Nursing a two-goal lead, Lebo kept possession of the ball for more than four minutes until only eight seconds remained on the clock.

Marasti, Tissenbaum and Young earned All-American honors recognized by Laxpower.com. Mt. Lebanon senior midfielder Zach Boyt and senior defender Joe Rodella also earned all-league honors.

Marasti scored three goals in the semifinals against Bethel Park with Tissenbaum and Hall, a junior midfielder, adding two each. Young, Boyt and sophomore attackman Dan Roman scored one each against the Bethel Park.