When approached by a reporter Thursday after her team’s game, Payton Collins didn’t have steady hands.

“I’m still shaking if you can’t tell. The adrenaline is insane,” Collins said.

What’s even more insane was the comeback that Collins and her Mt. Lebanon teammates pulled off just moments earlier.

In one of the greatest comebacks in WPIAL playoff history, Collins made 1 of 2 free throws with 0.4 seconds left and host No. 4-seeded Mt. Lebanon rallied from a 16-point deficit with less than four minutes remaining to defeat No. 5 Chartiers Valley, 47-46, in a Class 6A girls basketball quarterfinal.

“I can’t even put it into words. It’s just crazy,” said Collins, a guard and one of the WPIAL’s top sophomores. “My team, in the fourth quarter, you’d think that we’d think that there wasn’t any hope of us winning, but we never gave up. We had some key steals and rebounds and we never gave up.”

In a matchup of teams that played for PIAA titles a year ago, Chartiers Valley (12-10), which led throughout, took a 43-27 lead on Lilah Turnbull’s steal and basket with 5:16 left. That turned out to be Chartiers Valley’s final field goal of the game, as Mt. Lebanon (17-6) outscored the Colts, 20-3, in the final 3:28.

While this was a team effort for Mt. Lebanon — the defending champion Blue Devils forced 10 turnovers in the fourth quarter — when it came to scoring, Collins put her team on her back. Collins scored 17 of her team’s 20 points in that final run and finished with five 3-pointers and a game-high 25 points.

Chartiers Valley scored its final points on Turnbull’s two free throws with 1:03 left to increase its lead to 46-38. Collins’ basket made it 46-40 with 41 seconds left and, after a steal, Collins made one of the biggest plays of the game when she connected on a 3-pointer and was fouled. Her four-point play brought the Blue Devils within 46-44 with 27 seconds left.

“I think that fouled 3, that was one of the best plays I’ve seen, especially from a sophomore,” Mt. Lebanon coach Jackie DelSardo said.

But Collins wasn’t finished. After Chartiers Valley’s Natalia Palumbo missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 25 seconds remaining, Mt. Lebanon got the rebound and Collins followed her own miss with with a basket with 12 seconds left to draw the Blue Devils even. Chartiers Valley sprinted up the court, but Ella Cupka turned the ball over with three seconds left. Collins got the rebound and was fouled by Turnbull with just 0.4 seconds left.

Collins missed her first attempt, but luckily Mt. Lebanon was in the double bonus and Collins got a second crack at it. This time it went in. 

“When I missed the first one, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to make the second one,’” Collins said. “Everyone was screaming and I zoned everybody out. When it left my hands, I knew it was in.”

When asked about the foul call afterward, Chartiers Valley coach Mike Semplice put the blame on himself. Semplice is a former Mt. Lebanon assistant who, like DelSardo, is in his first season as a head coach. Both teams also took over for legendary coaches, Semplice for Tim McConnell and DelSardo for Dori Oldaker.

“I made a lot of bad decisions,” Semplice said. “I can’t cry about that call. I didn’t help my girls out. I didn’t put them in a position to win the game. That’s just bad coaching.”

Collins was the only Mt. Lebanon player to score in double figures, while Chartiers Valley got 15 points apiece from Turnbull and Emma Reynolds. Turnbull hit three 3-pointers.

After beating Chartiers Valley for the third time this season, Mt. Lebanon will meet another section foe in the semifinals Monday when it takes on No. 1-seeded Upper St. Clair (20-2). The Panthers defeated Mt. Lebanon in the regular season by scores of 57-39 and 52-44.

Other Class 6A girls

• Sophomore Rylee Kalocay’s 27 points helped No. 1 Upper St. Clair (20-2) defeat No. 8 Peters Township, 60-43, for its 14th win in a row. Sam Prunzik added 12 points and Kate Robbins 10 for the host Panthers, who outscored Peters Township, 20-8, in the fourth quarter. Gemma Walker led Peters Township (13-11) with 16 points.

• No. 2 Norwin (20-3) rolled to a 57-26 home win against No. 6 Baldwin (10-13). The Knights led, 31-10, at the half and got a game-high 21 points from Kendall Berger. Mary Vargo paced Baldwin with 9 points. The Knights will face North Allegheny in the semifinals. The teams split two regular-season meetings.

• Pitt recruit Jasmine Timmerson scored 20 points to vault No. 2 North Allegheny (18-5) to a 69-56 home win against No. 7 Pine-Richland (11-12). Kellie McConnell added 13 points for the Tigers, who advanced to the semifinals for the 10th year in a row. Sarah Pifer scored 23 points and Catherine Gentile 16 for the Rams. Pifer made six 3-pointers and Gentile connected on four.

Mt. Lebanon’s Payton Collins (25) and Addison Murdoch (24) tie up Chartiers Valley’s Emma Reynolds Thursday night at Mt. Lebanon. Mt. Lebanon won, 47-46, to advance to the WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball semifinals. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Class 1A girls

• No. 1 Union (16-6) led by 36 points at the half on its way to a 64-20 win against No. 8 West Greene (13-10). Kylie Fruehstorfer scored a game-high 21 points for Union, which has won 10 games in a row. Kelly Cleaver added 15 points, while Lexie Six and Marissa Tharp each scored 7 for West Greene. The Scotties draw No. 5 Saint Joseph (20-4) in the semifinals. The Spartans were a 56-23 winner against No. 4 Monessen.

• Ashley Lippold poured in 34 points and Rachel Boehm added 24 as No. 2 Bishop Canevin (11-7) had little difficulty defeating visiting No. 10 Avella, 84-52. The Crusaders led by 20 points after one quarter. Katie Dryer led Avella (13-11) with 24 points. Canevin next will face No. 3 Aquinas Academy (15-8) in the semifinals. Aquinas Academy beat No. 6 Eden Christian, 45-25, in another quarterfinal.

Class 4A boys

• Defending champion and No. 2 Laurel Highlands (21-2) rallied from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime and eventually beat No. 10 Belle Vernon (11-12), 75-71, at Peters Township. The Mustangs scored 32 points in the fourth and 18 more in overtime. The Mustangs got 33 points from Keondre DeShields and 29 from Rodney Gallagher, who forced overtime with a layup in the final seconds of regulation. Belle Vernon’s Zion Moore scored a game-high 35. Up next for the Mustangs is North Catholic in the semifinals.

• No. 6 North Catholic (18-6) raced to a 20-point halftime lead and surprisingly coasted to a 73-58 win against No. 3 Uniontown (19-4) at Norwin. Max Hurray (23 points) and Matt Ellery (17 points) led a group of four Trojans scoring in double figures. Jamire Braxton led Uniontown with 15 points.

• Super sophomore Meleek Thomas scored a game-high 23 points to propel No. 1 Lincoln Park (23-1) to its 11th win in a row, a 50-40 triumph against No. 8 South Allegheny (19-5) at Moon. Pitt recruit Brandin Cummings added 8 points for the Leopards, who will play in the semifinals for the eighth consecutive year. Their next opponent will be Highlands. Bryce Epps paced South Allegheny with 13 points.

• After falling to No. 4 Hampton (21-3) twice in the regular season, No. 5 Highlands (21-3) got some payback by beating the Talbots, 58-41, at North Allegheny. Cameron Reigard led Highlands with 14 points and Bradyn Foster and Jimmy Kunst each chipped in 13. Hampton got 15 points from Brennan Murray and 14 from Eric Weeks. The Talbots once again played without leading scorer Peter Kramer, who is ineligible for the postseason due to transfer rules.

Class 3A boys

• Jack Glies had 27 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists to vault No. 2 Neshannock (18-5) to a 53-49 victory against No. 7 Yough (16-8) at North Hills. The Lancers move on to the semifinals for the second time in three years. Yough was led by Terek Crosby (20 points) and Austin Matthews (19 points). Up next for the Lancers is Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

• Four-time defending champion and No. 6 Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (18-5) overcame a six-point halftime deficit to knock off No. 3 Shady Side Academy, 53-42, at North Hills. Bryson Kirschner led the Chargers with 19 points. Shady Side Academy (16-8) led, 23-17, at the half. OLSH outscored the Bulldogs, 36-19, in the second half, including 20-11 in the fourth quarter.

Deer Lakes (15-8) is headed to the semifinals for the first time since 1985 after the No. 5 Lancers upset No. 4 Mohawk, 59-45, at Moon. Bryce Robson scored a game-high 24 points for the Lancers, who also got 14 from Nate Litrun. Jay Wrona led Mohawk (20-4) with 12 points. Deer Lakes will face No. 1 Steel Valley in the semifinals.

Boys scores

Class 4A quarterfinals

Highlands 58, Hampton 41

Laurel Highlands 75, Belle Vernon 71 (OT)

Lincoln Park 50, South Allegheny 40

North Catholic 73, Uniontown 58

Class 3A quarterfinals

Deer Lakes 59, Mohawk 45

Neshannock 53, Yough 49

Steel Valley 56, Seton LaSalle 54

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 53, Shady Side Academy 42

Girls scores

Class 6A quarterfinals

Mt. Lebanon 57, Chartiers Valley 46

North Allegheny 69, Pine-Richland 56

Norwin 57, Baldwin 26

Upper St. Clair 60, Peters Township 43

Class 1A quarterfinals

Aquinas Academy 45, Eden Christian 25

Bishop Canevin 84, Avella 52

St. Joseph 53, Monessen 46

Union 64, West Greene 20

Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.

Brad Everett

Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.