UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Perfection.

Many set out to achieve it, but only a very select few are ever talented enough to attain it.

This particularly holds true in the world of WPIAL girls' basketball, where only a single team had ever won a PIAA title with an unblemished record.

Last night, that number emphatically jumped to two.

A one-time dream cemented into reality when Mt. Lebanon capped off a perfect season with a 67-58 victory against nationally-ranked Cardinal O'Hara in the PIAA Class AAAA championship game at Penn State University's Bryce Jordan Center.

"Going undefeated, it's just a really big deal," Blue Devils senior Emily Miller said. "It just doesn't happen much in Quad-A."

How about never -- at least in the WPIAL.

With its first state title, Mt. Lebanon (31-0) became the first WPIAL Class AAAA team to win a PIAA championship with an undefeated mark. The only WPIAL other team to accomplish the feat was Class A Mount Alvernia in 1983.

The Blue Devils, who stumbled in the final a year ago, were actually the underdogs this year, as Cardinal O'Hara (27-3) -- ranked No. 5 in the nation by USA Today -- started five players headed to play Division I, including 6-foot-4 senior center Stephanie Holzer, a McDonald's All-American and the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year.

"We didn't feel like we were being overlooked. We just feel like we were underdogs and we kind of like that," said Mt. Lebanon coach Dori Oldaker, who won her third PIAA title.

But the Blue Devils weren't fazed by their opponent's plethora of talent, hanging step-for-step with the District 12 champion on their way to a 30-29 halftime lead.

And then, with Mt. Lebanon trailing, 35-32, with 5:48 left in the third quarter, the pendulum swung sharply in the Blue Devils' direction when Holzer -- a Vanderbilt recruit -- fell to the court after reaggravating a right ankle injury she had been playing through for the past two months.

With Holzer on the bench, the Blue Devils blitzed the Lions the rest of the way, going on a 13-5 run to end the third quarter with a 45-40 lead. They took their largest lead, 53-42, on a Chelsea Apke free throw with 3:29 left in the game.

Holzer, who did not return, finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks.

"She gets 15 rebounds a game, so it's tough without her," Cardinal O'Hara coach Linus McGinty said.

The Lions cut the Mt. Lebanon lead to 59-56 with 50 seconds left with the help of two 3-pointers from junior guard Natasha Cloud -- a Maryland recruit who led the team with 20 points. The Lions, though, could not get any closer, as the Blue Devils hit six of eight free throws down the stretch to preserve the win.

Miller, who had back surgery last July, carried the Blue Devils on her back in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 of her game-high 21 points.

Sophomore Madison Cable added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and junior Lauren Arbogast chipped in 14 points. Junior point guard Jess Babe had 12 assists.

"We had a lot of naysayers saying that we played a weak schedule," Oldaker said. "Hopefully we proved them wrong."

She then paused.

"But it doesn't matter what they say. Nobody can take it away from us."

That's what happens when you're perfect.