Cable drops in 30 to power Mt. Lebanon girls to second straight PIAA Class AAAA crown

STATE COLLEGE – Madison Cable had a career game on the biggest stage Friday night.

The Mt. Lebanon junior shredded Archbishop Ryan for 30 points as the Blue Devils repeated as PIAA Class AAAA girls' basketball champions with a convincing 70-43 victory at Bryce Jordan Center.

Cable nailed a long-range triple five seconds after the opening whistle, and immediately the Blue Devils' coach, Dori Oldaker, felt it might be a special night for her talented 5-11 junior.

“When she hit that first three, I thought 'here we go, she's ready,'” Oldaker said. “Madison tends to step up for us in big games.”

Cable's 30 points, a career high, came on 13-for-19 shooting. She also had nine rebounds and five assists.

“I shot the ball pretty well,” said Cable, who also had six steals and two blocks. “I came out and felt good early. When I get going early, I tend to have big games.”

Cable staked Mt. Lebanon (29-2) to an early 7-0 cushion, scoring all seven points in less than 150 seconds.

The Ragdolls (22-8) simply could not match Cable's lightning quick first step off the dribble.

“We couldn't keep Cable in front of us defensively, plus she can really shoot,” Archbishop Ryan coach Jackie Hartzell said. “She's just a bad match-up for us.”

Outside of Cable, the Blue Devils struggled by their standards in the first half – particularly on the defensive end.

That changed in a hurry in the third quarter when Mt. Lebanon scored five quick points off turnovers to stretch it lead from 10 to 15 in a hurry.

The Ragdolls ended up turning it over 10 times in the third quarter and Mt. Lebanon converted those miscues into 13 points to drive the final nail into Ryan's coffin.

“We wanted to come out strong in the second half and we didn't,” said Ryan senior Jess Koci, who paced the Ragdolls with 14 points and 12 boards. “Right away in the third quarter you could feel their pressure, and they pulled away pretty fast.”

From the Associated Press