Deer Lakes boys avenge earlier loss to Burrell
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Tuesday, January 31, 2023 | 10:06 PM
Deer Lakes’ Bryce Robson celebrates after scoring against Burrell in the fourth quarter Tuesday.
Deer Lakes’ Billy Schaeffer scores past Burrell’s Mackey Bennis on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Aiden Fletcher fights for a loose ball with Burrell’s Mackey Bennis on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Nate Litrun pulls down a rebound over Burrell’s Esau King Buchak (left) and Tucker Bitar on Tuesday.
Deer Lakes’ Aiden Fletcher fights for the ball with Burrell’s Mackey Bennis on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Billy Schaeffer drives past Burrell’s Joey Driscello on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at Deer Lakes High School.
Burrell’s Ryan Croushore blocks the shot of Deer Lakes’ Billy Schaeffer on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Wayne Love pulls down a rebound over Burrell’s Esau King Buchak (13) and Mackey Bennis on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at Deer Lakes High School.
When the Burrell and Deer Lakes boys basketball teams met Jan. 6, neither escaped the 40s as the Bucs held on for a one-point victory in overtime.
In Tuesday’s rematch at Deer Lakes, the Lancers were able to exact a measure of revenge and stay on course for at least a share of the Section 3-3A title.
Four players scored in double figures as Deer Lakes pulled away in the second half for a 72-52 victory.
“There’s a lot of history between these teams,” said Bryce Robson, who finished with a game-best 18 points. “We definitely owed these guys that one from the first game. It was heartbreaking at their place. We knew the only way to correct it was to get back in the lab and get back to work.
“We played with intensity and fed off the crowd, which helped propel us forward. We brought those five guys off the bench and gave us a ton of energy.”
Deer Lakes improved to 11-7 overall and pulled into a tie with Shady Side Academy for the section lead at 8-1.
The Lancers came into the game averaging 78.2 points over six games since the Burrell loss. Deer Lakes also bounced back from a 74-67 nonsection setback to Blackhawk, which snapped a five-game win streak.
“We have everything ahead of us, including the section title,” Robson said. “We control our own destiny. We have to take care of business before we play Shady Side Academy again.”
Deer Lakes and Shady Side Academy will face off at Shady Side’s Mellon Gym to close out the section schedule Feb. 9. It will be a rematch of a last-second, 53-51 Lancers victory two weeks ago.
With the loss, Burrell fell to 10-8 overall and 7-3 in the section. The Bucs had won two in a row after a six-point loss to Shady Side Academy on Jan 20.
“We just have to get back after it in practice and start working harder,” Burrell coach Michael Fantuzzo said. “We feel 3A is wide open for the playoffs. We’re in, so that’s all we need to have a chance to make a run at it.”
Neither team was able to extend to a big lead through two and a half quarters. Joey Discello hit a jumper for Burrell to close to within 31-30 with 3 minutes, 55 seconds to play in the third.
That was the final field goal the Bucs would score for almost a full quarter of time as Deer Lakes took control.
“We got a little bit frustrated on the offensive end, and we stopped playing defense,” Fantuzzo said. “That allowed them to pull away some. We just kind of fell apart after that.”
The Lancers used an 8-0 run on a pair of jumpers from Aiden Fletcher, a jumper Collin Rodgers and a scooped layup from Robson to lead 39-30 at the end of the quarter.
The teams combined for 55 points in a fast-paced final period. Deer Lakes outscored Burrell, 33-22, in the frame to put the game away.
Robson scored nine of his 18 in the fourth. Billy Schaeffer scored 10 of his 16 over the final eight minutes, and Nate Litrun scored eight in the fourth and finished with 14 points to go along with eight rebounds.
Rodgers finished with 12 as he again was part of the mass bench substitutions that were able to keep Deer Lakes’ level of play high throughout the contest.
“We asked five guys to play very aggressive defense on their two big guys,” said Deer Lakes coach Albie Fletcher, referring to Burrell’s two leading scorers, Mackey Bennis and Tucker Bitar.
Bennis, who averages more than 20 points a game; and Bitar, who consistently is in double figures, were limited to nine points apiece for the Bucs.
Bennis scored 25 points and Bitar 15 for Burrell in the first meeting with the Lancers.
Colt Christie came off the bench for Burrell and ended up with a team-best 17. He hit four of his team’s 10 3-pointers.
“We brought that consistent pressure throughout the game overall,” Fletcher said. “I think it really took its toll on them, especially in that stretch between the third and fourth quarters. The guys really worked hard in practice for this game, and I felt our guys were one step ahead a number of times. We had such a good look from our JV guys in practice the last two days.”
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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