Deer Lakes boys open state playoffs with dominant win on home floor
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Saturday, March 11, 2023 | 8:44 PM
Deer Lakes’ Bryce Robson scores past Seneca’s Evan Shouey during their PIAA Class 3A first-round game Saturday at Deer Lakes.
Deer Lakes’ Michael Butler scores against Seneca’s Evan Shouey during their PIAA Class 3A first round state playoff game on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Deer Lakes.
Deer Lakes’ Michael Butler celebrates after scoring against Seneca during their PIAA Class 3A first round state playoff game on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Deer Lakes.
Deer Lakes’ Bryce Robson drives between Seneca’s Evan Shouey and Cameron Hochschild during their PIAA Class 3A first round state playoff game on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Deer Lakes.
Deer Lakes’ Nate Moore celebrates with teammates after scoring against Seneca during their PIAA Class 3A first round state playoff game on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Deer Lakes.
Deer Lakes’ Billy Schaeffer scores against Seneca during their PIAA Class 3A first round state playoff game on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Deer Lakes.
The Deer Lakes student section sings ‘Sweet Caroline’ during the Lancers’ PIAA Class 3A first round state playoff game against Seneca on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Deer Lakes.
Deer Lakes’ Bryce Robson scores off a Seneca’ turnover during their PIAA Class 3A first round state playoff game on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Deer Lakes.
Deer Lakes’ Michael Butler drives past Seneca’s Evan Shouey during their PIAA Class 3A first round state playoff game on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Deer Lakes.
Deer Lakes’ Michael Butler reacts after scoring against Seneca during their PIAA Class 3A first round state playoff game on Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Deer Lakes.
The stairs that lead from the Deer Lakes locker room to the gym floor are quite steep, but the Lancers were confident they wouldn’t stumble on this day.
A so-called “hangover” has tripped up some previous WPIAL champions, but those teams weren’t playing a state tournament game in their home gym with a sold-out crowd already riled up. The Lancers were, so they saw little chance they’d fall flat.
“When they heard that crowd, they were ready to go,” said Deer Lakes coach Albie Fletcher, whose team scored the game’s first 10 points and ran away with a 75-34 victory over Seneca in the PIAA Class 3A playoffs Saturday.
“Right before we went upstairs, I could see the look,” he said. “I knew, ‘All right, they’re ready.’ It was four seniors’ last game on that floor.”
The Lancers sprinted to a 13-1 lead behind a pressure defense, built a 20-point advantage in the second quarter and played the fourth with a running clock under the mercy rule. Senior guard Bryce Robson scored a game-high 24 points, and junior Billy Schaeffer had 17.
“We were feeding into the crowd off the jump,” Robson said. “It really helped us. It really jump started us with our high-pressure defense. We knew we would get a good showing, so we were mentally preparing for it all week.”
The team played shorthanded without senior starter Nate Litrun, who sprained an ankle in practice.
Deer Lakes (18-8) advances to the second round for the first time since 2019. The Lancers on Wednesday will face Loyalsock Township (16-11), the third-place team from District 4. The second round will use neutral sites.
The PIAA started awarding first-round home games as a pandemic adjustment and has stuck with them in the two seasons since, which was to Deer Lakes’ advantage.
“Sold out” signs on the school’s doors turned away anyone who didn’t already have a ticket.
“The atmosphere here was wonderful,” Seneca coach Lou Strelecki said. “That part of it is good. You want to see fans. You want to see people cheering on their teams. I just wish it wasn’t so far away.”
Seneca (13-13), the third-place team from District 10, is an Erie County school. Lucas Rupp led Seneca with 13 points, but the Bobcats shot only 35% from the field (10 for 35) in the unfamiliar gym.
Deer Lakes succeeded in starting fast. The Lancers mixed defenses early, including a trap that forced three turnovers and an offensive foul on Seneca’s first four possessions.
In all, Seneca had 26 turnovers with eight in the first quarter alone.
“We thought our pressure was an advantage for us,” Fletcher said. “We saw some things on film that we liked. I told them it’s got to be a buzzsaw. Boy, these guys responded.”
Seneca’s coach wasn’t surprised by the pressure, saying others have attacked similarly.
“That’s our issue,” Strelecki said. “We knew they were going to press and trap us. We were ready for it. We thought, at least. Our guys try to do a little too much when they see stuff like that.”
Deer Lakes’ lead reached 17-4 on a steal and layup by Robson with two minutes left in the first quarter. Seneca made only one basket in the first six minutes against the Lancers’ defense.
“If they’re on the road and they come into a hostile crowd, and you can turn them over and speed the game up, that’s very hard to come back from as a visiting team,” Fletcher said. “That was the game plan, and we executed it perfectly.”
Deer Lakes led 22-6 after one quarter, 39-23 at halftime and 55-31 after three. The Lancers said Seneca was a good-shooting team on video, but the Bobcats went 7 for 25 from 3-point range against their defense.
“A lot of times in games against good-shooting teams, the excuse is they had a bad shooting night,” Robson said. “But at the same time, when a team shoots bad, you’ve got to credit the defense.”
Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.
Tags: Deer Lakes
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