Burrell girls down Deer Lakes, earn section’s final playoff spot
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Thursday, February 9, 2023 | 10:09 PM
Burrell’s Jules Fisher scores against Deer Lakes’ on Thursday.
Burrell’s Anna Clark is fouled by Deer Lakes’ Nina Tristiani on Thursday.
Burrell’s Anna Clark defends on Deer Lakes’ Sphia Laurenza on Thursday.
Burrell’s Riley Sterlitz is fouled by Deer Lakes’ Zoey Herbster on Thursday.
Burrell’s Riley Sterlitz fights for the ball with Deer Lakes’ Zoey Herbster and Jessica Sullivan on Thursday.
Deer Lakes’ Layne Loper scores past Burrell’s Casey Brancato on Thursday.
Burrell’s Emily Wojtczak defends on Deer Lakes’ Jessica Sullivan on Thursday.
Burrell’s Addy Landowski blocks the shot of Deer Lakes’ Anna Bokulich on Thursday.
Burrell’s Maddie Gerthoffer fights for a rebound with Deer Lakes’ Anna Bokulich on Thursday.
Deer Lakes’ Alyssa Weber grabs a rebound from Burrell’s Anna Clark on Thursday.
Burrell’s Addy Landowski blocks the shot of Deer Lakes’ Layne Loper on Thursday.
Burrell’s Jules Fisher defends on Deer Lakes’ Alyssa Weber on Thursday.
In game that was winner-takes-all, the Burrell girls basketball team stood tall.
The Bucs clinched the fourth-place WPIAL playoff spot from Section 3-3A with a 40-24 victory over Deer Lakes on Thursday during senior night at Burrell High School.
“We had a pretty tough season last year, and we came in with the goal of getting back to the playoffs,” said Bucs senior Emily Wojtczak, who finished with a game-best 11 points and was celebrated before the game along with fellow seniors Maddie Gerthoffer, Maggie Omecinski, Addy Landowski and Riley Sterlitz.
“We knew just how important this game was where the winner would clinch a playoff spot. Even though it was senior night, we kind of just put that out of our mind at the start of the game. We really focused on getting that win. It feels great.”
Burrell, which improved to 10-12 overall and finished 4-6 in section play, will find out its playoff fate Monday afternoon as the WPIAL Class 3A girls brackets are revealed. The first round could begin as early as next Thursday.
“This is huge for these girls,” Burrell coach Shaun Reddick said. “We’ve been challenging them all season. Everyone made playoffs during the covid season, but I don’t think we earned a playoff spot since 2016. I challenged them to be the team that turns the tide and sets the tone for what we want to do in the future. I couldn’t be any happier for them, especially the seniors who worked hard for four years and really earned this.”
Deer Lakes caps its season at 5-17 overall and 3-7 in the section.
“I thought the girls played hard and gave me everything I asked of them,” Deer Lakes coach Sam Salih said. “Unfortunately tonight, we just couldn’t make shots. We had a whole bunch of opportunities. We left a lot of points on the court with missed layups and other close-range shots. We also needed to be better with our free throws.
“Overall, we had a tough season as we battled through injuries. We have a pretty young team, and I think all of these experiences all year will really help the girls. My four seniors (Anna Bokulich, Jessica Sullivan, Macy Parise, Zoey Herbster) went through a lot, but they battled, and I am proud of them.”
Both teams arrived at Thursday’s playoff-clinching opportunity having swept Ligonier Valley.
Burrell won the first meeting with Deer Lakes, 49-19, on Jan. 16, and the Lancers scored an upset victory over third-place Mt. Pleasant, 44-38, on Jan. 5.
Burrell led by 14 at halftime and maintained that advantage throughout the second half.
In addition to Wojtczak’s double-digit scoring performance, Anna Clark scored eight points and pulled down six rebounds for the Bucs, and Jules Fisher tallied six points.
Layne Loper and Sullivan scored seven points each to lead Deer Lakes. Parise added six points in her final varsity game.
Loper sank a pair of free throws for Deer Lakes to open the scoring in the first quarter. Sullivan added a pair of layups, and Parise connected on a jumper as the Lancers opened an 8-3 lead with 4 minutes, 17 seconds left in the opening period.
That was the last points Deer Lakes would score in the entire half.
While the Lancers offense struggled, Burrell raced into the lead. The Bucs grabbed a 9-8 advantage at the end of the first and outscored Deer Lakes, 15-0, in the second quarter to lead 22-8 at the break.
Clark scored five points and added four rebounds in the second to lead the Bucs, and Wojtczak hit a free throw and a 3-pointer.
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.
Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes
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