Deer Lakes relies on inside game to defeat Mercyhurst Prep in PIAA 1st round
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Saturday, March 9, 2024 | 6:15 PM
Deer Lakes’ Billy Schaeffer scores past Mercyhurst Prep’s Derek Bly during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Wayne Love Jr. defends Mercyhurst Prep’s Shaun McCausland during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Nathaniel Moore blocks a shot by Mercyhurst Prep’s Craig Buckner during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Mercyhurst Prep’s Derek Bly scores past Deer Lakes’ Wayne Love Jr. during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Wayne Love Jr. scores past Mercyhurst Prep’s Craig Buchner during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Aiden Fletcher scores over Mercyhurst Prep’s Derek Bly during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Billy Schaeffer defends Mercyhurst Prep’s Tanner Ashton during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Wayne Love Jr. scores past all five Mercyhurst Prep players during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes coach Albie Fletcher gets the starters ready for Mercyhurst Prep during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Nathaniel Moore scores over Mercyhurst Prep’s Derek Bly during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Collin Rodgers defends Mercyhurst Prep’s Craig Buckner during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Wayne Love Jr. scores past Mercyhurst Prep’s Derek Bly during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Mercyhurst Prep’s Derek Bly gets a loose ball to Cam Bryant against Deer Lakes during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Collin Rodgers breaks the press past Mercyhurst Prep’s Craig Buckner and Jeremy Ganska during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Billy Schaeffer grabs a loose ball over Mercyhurst Prep’s Alex Manendo during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Nathaniel Moore scores past Mercyhurst Prep’s Derek Bly during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Aiden Fletcher grabs a rebound over Mercyhurst Prep’s Cam Bryant during a PIAA boys Class 3A first-round game Saturday, March 9, 2024, at Deer Lakes High School.
In the last couple of seasons, Deer Lakes has won playoff games in a variety of ways, and Saturday they turned to their inside game.
And their domination in the paint helped put another one in the win column.
The Lancers scored 46 of their points in the paint in a 71-64 victory over District 10’s Mercyhurst Prep in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A tournament.
“We wanted to be inside-out in this game,” Lancers coach Albie Fletcher said. “We felt we had opportunities there. At the start of the game, a lot of what we called was for shots inside to get them to collapse and eventually open up the outside shots. I thought we did a nice job with that, and if we lived (inside) all game, we felt we would be OK.”
Deer Lakes (22-4) advanced to play District 6 runner-up Forest Hills in the second round Wednesday. The Lakers, the third-place team in District 10, finished 17-9.
Fresh off a second consecutive WPIAL championship and with a raucous home crowd behind them, the Lancers staved off a scrappy Lakers team that kept the game within 10 points most of the way.
Wayne Love, Nathaniel Moore and Aiden Fletcher did most of their damage near the rim. Love had a game-high 21 points in his final game at his home gym, and Fletcher, a fellow senior, scored 15. Moore, a junior, had 17.
The Lancers enacted their strategy successfully from the opening tip. Love had eight in the first quarter, and Fletcher scored six to help build a 24-19 lead.
“We executed our sets and got good screens underneath to get the ball down low, so we could get our big men some good opportunities to finish,” Aiden Fletcher said. “I think that was a big part of this game. That helped us get our footing in the first quarter, opposed to having a slow start.”
Mercyhurst Prep kept it close by hitting five 3-pointers in the first half. Maddox Brzuz hit a pair from beyond the arc, and Craig Buckner, Shaun McCausland and JJ Ganska hit one apiece.
The Lancers held a 33-29 lead at halftime.
“(Mercyhurst Prep) is a resilient team,” Coach Fletcher said. “We saw on tape where they’d be down, but they’d flip that switch and turn it up on the defensive end to get some turnovers that led to run outs. They shot the ball extremely well today. They’re a good team. They gave us all we could handle.”
Moore took over in the third, scoring nine of his 17.
A big moment came at the end of the third when Collin Rodgers threw up a desperation 3-pointer in the final seconds and was fouled by Alex Manendo.
Rodgers sank all three free throws to give the Lancers a 51-41 lead.
Deer Lakes hit only three 3-pointers all game, but two came in the fourth. Billy Schaffer hit one after a media timeout to make it 63-53, and Fletcher sank one earlier in the frame.
The Lancers continued to attack the rim in the fourth. Fletcher had a driving layup, and Love scored seven in the quarter to put the game away.
Deer Lakes went 14 of 21 from the free-throw line.
“They were throwing all kinds of different pressures at us, so getting the ball down the floor quickly and staying on the gas opposed to holding onto the ball and playing scared was a big part of keeping the momentum at the end of the game,” Aiden Fletcher said.
Brzuz led Mercyhurst Prep with 17 points. Derek Bly scored 12, and Ganka had 11.
Schaeffer scored 12 for the Lancers.
Jerin Steele is a freelance writer
Tags: Deer Lakes
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