Deer Lakes boys seek WPIAL 3-peat when basketball playoffs get underway

By: Michael Love
Monday, February 10, 2025 | 5:30 PM

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The Kansas City Chiefs went after a Super Bowl championship three-peat Sunday in New Orleans.

But the Philadelphia Eagles put a wrench in those plans with a dominating performance.

The Deer Lakes boys are about to begin their own three-peat quest as they prepare for the WPIAL Class 4A basketball playoffs. But Lancers coach Albie Fletcher knows getting back to Petersen Events Center will not be easy.

Deer Lakes was one of 17 Alle-Kiski Valley boys and girls teams who found out their playoff fates as the WPIAL released the 12 tournament brackets Monday afternoon.

The Lancers are the No. 7 seed in Class 4A and will host No. 10 Quaker Valley at 7 p.m. Friday.

The winner faces No. 2 North Catholic in the quarterfinals Feb. 19.

“It is very exciting. It’s like Christmas Day for anybody involved in high school basketball,” Fletcher said. “Class 4A is very difficult this year. We’ve had some great games, and we anticipate more in the playoffs. Obviously, we’re excited to get a home game. We always have great fan support and community support.

“The guys have experience being in these playoffs to where they know they can’t look too far ahead and how they have to focus on one game at a time. We’re going to prepare for Quaker Valley and what we have to do to be the better team that night.”

Deer Lakes (16-5) suffered a pair of losses to No. 5 Knoch and No. 2 North Catholic last week as the Section 1 slate came to a close. It knocked the Lancers down to third in the standings at 9-3.

Kiski Area (14-6) is set to begin its Class 5A run as the No. 8 seed. The Cavaliers, who won the Section 2 title, will host No. 9 Latrobe at 7 p.m. Feb. 18.

The winner will face No. 1 Montour in the quarterfinals Feb. 21.

Kiski coach Corey Smith questioned his team’s positioning in the bracket as a section champion but said his players will be ready to perform when the Wildcats come calling.

“Latrobe was in our section the past two years, so the coaching staffs are highly familiar with each other. The players know each other well from past games,” Smith said.

“The bracket is loaded, and there will be no easy games in any round. We can’t rely on anyone else’s opinion about who we are, how good we are or aren’t, or where we should be (in the bracket). It’s about the coaches and the guys in the locker room. We’re going to have a week to prepare, and we’re going to get back to work and be ready for a good Latrobe team.”

Knoch (16-6), runner-up to North Catholic in Section 2, is the No. 5 seed in Class 4A and will host No. 12 West Mifflin in the first round at 7 p.m. Friday. The Knights are in the playoffs for the third year in a row and are seeking their first WPIAL title.

Highlands (6-13) has worked to overcome adversity after the suspension of six players in the wake of a hazing incident early in the season. The Golden Rams, in the WPIAL playoffs for an A-K-Valley-best 11th straight time, received the No. 9 seed and will visit No. 8 Elizabeth Forward in the first round at 7 p.m. Friday.

Fox Chapel (15-6) is the No. 4 seed in the 6A bracket and will host No. 5 Central Catholic (13-8) in the first round Feb. 20 at a time to be determined.

The Foxes, the 2022 WPIAL Class 6A champion, won four in a row down the stretch in section before falling to the No. 1 Red Hurricanes and No. 7 Butler to close out section play.

Springdale (13-8) is back in the WPIAL playoffs after a two-year hiatus. The Dynamos are the No. 21 seed in their bracket and will take part in a play-in game at 7 p.m. Thursday at No. 12 Jefferson-Morgan.

Girls

St. Joseph, tied with Aquinas Academy for the runner-up spot to No. 1 Union in Section 1, leads an 11-team area girls contingent into the WPIAL playoffs as the No. 6 seed in Class A.

Last year’s Class A runner-up finished the regular season 15-6 and will host No. 11 Sewickley Academy in the first round at 7 p.m. Monday.

“A lot of them are new to playoff basketball, but they are excited to prepare for Monday’s game,” Spartans coach Geoff Dutelle said. “We didn’t do enough to separate ourselves and get one of the four byes to the quarterfinals, and I figured we would be where we are. But they will be excited to play at home one more time. That will be a nice consolation to having to play a first-round game.”

Springdale (11-11), the No. 8 seed in Class A, will host No. 9 Bishop Canevin at 7 p.m. Monday.

The winner faces Union in the quarterfinals Feb. 20.

The Dynamos, who finished fourth in Section 1, are in the playoffs for only the second time in the past 10 years (2021-22).

Plum (9-12) beat Fox Chapel (13-8) on Thursday to forge a tie for third place in Section 1-5A behind co-champs Shaler and Franklin Regional. The 14th-seeded Mustangs will play at No. 3 Penn-Trafford at 7 p.m. Friday, while the No. 15 Foxes visit Peters Township, also Friday at the same time.

Knoch, the No. 9 seed in the Class 4A bracket, is tied for the longest girls playoff-qualifying streak in the A-K Valley with Riverview at seven years in a row.

The Knights (11-10) will travel to No. 8 Laurel Highlands at 7 p.m. Monday.

Six teams qualified from the eight-team Section 1. Burrell (13-9), which finished fourth, is the No. 11 seed and will visit No. 6 South Park at 7 p.m. Monday.

Freeport and Highlands tied for fifth. The No. 12 Yellowjackets (6-15) travel to No. 5 Beaver at 7 p.m. Monday at 7, and No. 17 Highlands (6-14) will play at No. 16 Yough in a preliminary play-in game at 7 p.m. Thursday to see who will face No. 1 Blackhawk in the first round Feb. 20.

Deer Lakes is the only girls program in the A-K Valley to have brought home a WPIAL championship. The Lancers are celebrating the 40th anniversary of both the 1985 WPIAL and PIAA championships.

Deer Lakes (13-8) is the No. 9 seed in the Class 3A bracket and visits No. 9 Riverside at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Raiders (13-4), who made the PIAA playoffs last year, are the No. 7 seed and host No. 10 Rochester at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Class 2A playoffs.

Apollo-Ridge (9-11) will host the Class 2A play-in game at 7 p.m. Thursday against No. 17 Bentworth for a shot at No. 1 Neshannock in Tuesday’s first round.

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: Deer Lakes, Kiski Area, St. Joseph