Freeport girls basketball fends off Deer Lakes rally in section opener
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Monday, December 20, 2021 | 10:00 PM
Freeport’s Ava Soilis works against Deer Lakes’ Reese Hasley during their game on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, at Freeport Middle School.
Freeport’s Natalie Volek battles Deer Lakes’ Lydia Guthrie for a loose ball during their game on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, at Freeport Middle School.
Freeport’s Ava Soilis drives to the basket past Deer Lakes’ Lydia Guthrie (left) and Reese Hasley during their game on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, at Freeport Middle School.
Freeport’s Melaina Dezort drives to the basket between Deer Lakes defenders during their game Monday.
Freeport’s Ava Soilis works against Deer Lakes’ Reese Hasley during their game on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, at Freeport Middle School.
Freeport’s Ava Soilis works against Deer Lakes’ Reese Hasley during their game Monday at Freeport Middle School. Soilis scored 11 points; Hasley a game-high 16.
Freeport’s Melaina Dezort battles Deer Lakes’ Lydia Guthrie for a loose ball during their game on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, at Freeport Middle School.
Deer Lakes’ Reese Hasley drives to the basket against Freeport’s Marlee Sholtes during their game on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, at Freeport Middle School.
Deer Lakes’ Nikki Flemming battles Freeport’s Ava Soilis for a loose ball during their game on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, at Freeport Middle School.
Freeport’s Marlee Sholtes drives past Deer Lakes’ Layne Looper during their game on Monday, Dec. 20, 2021, at Freeport Middle School.
The Deer Lakes girls basketball team made a furious fourth-quarter comeback at Freeport on Monday in the Section 1-4A opener for both teams.
But a 17-point third-quarter lead by Freeport — its largest of the game — was more than the Lancers were able to overcome. The Yellowjackets held on for a 36-31 victory at Freeport Middle School.
“We’re better than 36 points,” Freeport coach Fred Soilis said. “We let them climb back into the game, which I told them I didn’t want to have happen, and it did. I have to address that with them and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
The win evens Freeport’s record at 2-2 overall after losses to Class 5A Plum and Fox Chapel to open the season. The Yellowjackets are back in action Wednesday against Class 5A Gateway to close out the December schedule.
While Soilis said Wednesday will be a big test for his players, his focus also is on building on the team’s 1-0 section record with games against Burrell, Derry, Valley, Knoch and Highlands in the first half of January.
“We’ve got to play better and be able to put our emotions in check,” Soilis said.
Deer Lakes, 1-3 overall after a season-opening win over Riverview, used a 9-2 run that straddled the end of the third and the start of the fourth to cut Freeport’s advantage to 30-20 with 6 minutes, 7 seconds left.
Lancers senior standout Reese Hasley had seven of her team’s nine points during the run. She scored 13 of her game-high 16 in the fourth as Deer Lakes trimmed the deficit to 33-29 with 24 seconds left.
But Freeport sophomore Ava Soilis hit two free throws, and junior Melaina DeZort added 1 of 2 from the line to help set the final.
“I felt we showed a ton of resiliency,” Deer Lakes first-year coach Sam Salih said. “We battled, rebounded pretty well, limited them to several one-shot possessions and controlled the tempo that way. I think our pressure defense rattled them a little bit. (Freeport) didn’t take care of the ball the way they did in the first half. I felt that was a momentum swing in the game.”
Deer Lakes is off until Dec. 29 when it takes on Fox Chapel at the Shady Side Academy tournament.
“Hopefully, we will be able to build off the fourth quarter of this game and carry us on to this Christmas tournament,” Salih said. “We have some time to get in the laboratory to get better, get stronger and get in even better shape, all those type of things.”
DeZort was 4 of 6 from the line in the fourth, and she led Freeport with 15 points.
Soilis’ two free throws in the waning seconds were her only two points of the fourth. She finished with 11.
Freeport was without senior starter Leah Hartman, who suffered a knee injury in practice last Thursday. There is no time table set for her return.
Freeport came out in the first half and set the tone with its defense.
The Yellowjackets forced seven turnovers in the first quarter and 12 for the first half.
DeZort hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished the first quarter with eight points, and Soilis added five points as Freeport doubled up Deer Lakes, 14-7.
Jaden Gaillot converted a layup, and Marlee Sholtes hit a 3-pointer as the Yellowjackets extended their lead to 19-7 before a Hasley putback at the 4:23 mark got Deer Lakes back on the scoreboard.
DeZort drained her third 3-pointer of the first half, and Gaillot added to Freeport’s lead at 24-9 before Hasley hit a running jumper from about 15 feet at the first-half buzzer to close the gap to 13 at the break.
Coach Soilis disputed whether Hasley got the shot off before time expired, but the referees said the shot was good as the team’s headed to their respective locker rooms.
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, Freeport
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