The Mt. Lebanon boys' basketball team is ranked in the top 25 in two national polls. It's an unusual occurrence because the Blue Devils play in the WPIAL, which doesn't exactly have a reputation for producing teams that compare favorably with some of the best in the country.

But for something even more unusual, the Mt. Lebanon boys have to share the national spotlight with their female classmates.

In what is believed to be a first in WPIAL basketball, two teams from one school are in national rankings. The Mt. Lebanon girls (16-2) have been ranked in the top 25 of polls all season. The Mt. Lebanon boys (15-0) cracked the rankings in recent weeks.

In the USA Today rankings, which have been around since the 1980s, the Mt. Lebanon girls are ranked No. 11 and the boys No. 21. In the Maxpreps.com rankings, the Mt. Lebanon girls are No. 12 and the boys No. 23.

"We might have a few schools every year that will have both of their teams ranked," said Jim Halley, who is in his fourth season compiling rankings for USA Today. "But a lot of times they are private schools."

Mt. Lebanon is a public school.

"I know Hopkins High School in Minnesota was a public school that had both of their teams ranked in the past," Halley said. "So it's not unheard of. But it is still pretty unusual because you're still talking about the top 25 teams in the entire country."

The Mt. Lebanon girls are 16-2 this season and the boys are 15-0. The girls' losses are to two California teams -- St. Mary's and Brea Olinda. St. Mary's is USA Today's No. 1-ranked team and Brea Olinda No. 3.

"I don't think people realize how hard it is to get nationally ranked and how quickly you can lose that ranking," said Mt. Lebanon girls' coach Dori Oldaker.

Mt. Lebanon boys' coach Joe David said: "A lot of the teams in these rankings and some of the teams we've played out of state this year, they have kids coming from everywhere, and transferring here and there. I think there is something to be said for our type of programs where the kids were part of the system when they were young and moved their way up and played junior high here."

Oldaker believes all of her players have been in Mt. Lebanon for a number of years. David said the same, with the exception of senior guard Evan Pierce. The team's leading scorer, Pierce moved from Indianapolis to Mt. Lebanon before his sophomore year and has a scholarship to a Division I college (Wagner).

But exactly how did these Mt. Lebanon teams get into the national rankings? It's not that much of a surprise for the girls because they were undefeated last year, won a PIAA championship and had a number of players returning. The boys made it to the PIAA semifinals last year and had five starters returning. But you don't need more than one hand to count the number of WPIAL teams that have cracked the USA Today rankings in the past 25 years.

Halley talks to coaches and media members around the country to compile his rankings. They are certainly not scientific.

"There are 27,000 high schools in the country, so we don't just look at undefeated teams. There are plenty of those," Halley said. "We have to look for teams that play other teams that I know are good. We use that as a gauge. Mt. Lebanon beating Montverde Academy (Fla.) was big for them."

Mt. Lebanon beat Montverde and two other teams to win the Junior Orange Bowl Classic in December. Montverde had a handful of players going to Division I colleges.

"Another big thing for me was Mt. Lebanon having five players back off a team that made the state semifinals last year," Halley said. "You kind of have to play good teams is what I'm trying to say."

The Mt. Lebanon girls also have played well and won against some top out-of-state teams.

The Mt. Lebanon citizens seems to be catching on to something special going on at the school gym this year.

"We're finally getting to the point where our crowds are similar to what the boys get and that's nice to see," Oldaker said. "Our Bethel Park game was packed. I've never seen a packed gym for a girls' high school regular-season game."

There is a family tie to the two teams. Luke Hagy plays for the boys and his sister, Angele, plays for the girls.

"We have all the respect in the world for what Dori and the girls' team do," David said. "The teams are mutually exclusive, though. It's not like we work out together. Whether it's coincidental or not that we're both [nationally] ranked? It probably is."

But Mt. Lebanon's success in boys and girls isn't a one- or two-year thing. If you combined the records for all WPIAL boys' and girls' teams at the same school the past decade (since the 2000-01 season), Mt. Lebanon has the third-best winning percentage (.737). Serra is first at .784 and Washington third at .769.

"We had a target on our back at the start of the season and with these rankings, it's getting bigger and bigger everywhere we go," David said.

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