Freeport girls fend off Deer Lakes for section win

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, February 1, 2018 | 11:30 PM

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The Freeport girls basketball team had things going its way after one quarter of Thursday's Section 1-4A game at rival Deer Lakes.

The Yellowjackets led by 11 and then added to their advantage early in the second.

The Lancers didn't go away, however, whittling the deficit to one by the end of third quarter.

But Freeport countered every punch delivered by Deer Lakes and held on for a 45-40 victory.

“Deer Lakes is a good basketball team,” Yellowjackets assistant coach Mark Shemanski said.

“We got that early lead, but they have great shooters. We knew they weren't going to give up. They are fighting for a playoff spot.”

Freeport clinched at least a share of second place in the section, improving to 9-2 while also upping its overall mark to 12-7. Third-place Knoch routed Valley on Thursday and improved to 7-3 in section play.

“It's always a battle when we play Deer Lakes,” said senior guard Asti Brestensky, who scored all four of Freeport's points in the third quarter and tallied five total.

“The games against them are always some of the biggest games of the season. We played with a lot of heart (Thursday).”

After a third-quarter in which the teams combined for 11 points, the scoring pace picked up.

Jenna Manke converted a layup and a free throw, and Samantha Clark added a jumper in the first 30 seconds of the frame to extend a one-point lead to 33-27.

Anna Solomon answered with a pair of field goals for Deer Lakes, and the Lancers were back within 33-31. Later in the quarter, she canned a pair of 3-pointers, the second of which trimmed Freeport's lead to 42-40 with one minute remaining.

The Yellowjackets drained 35 seconds off that final minute, and Madeline Clark drove for a baseline layup and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but Freeport held a 44-40 lead.

Deer Lakes had two more possessions in the waning moments of the contest, but a missed layup on one and a turnover on the other foiled its chances.

Clark hit one of two from the line with three seconds left to set the final. She scored five of her seven points in the fourth quarter.

“I was really proud of the girls and how they helped each other,” coach Shemanski said. “They rose to the occasion. It's great to be in these close games because we're going to be seeing a lot of those same types of games in the playoffs.”

A win would have clinched a playoff spot for Deer Lakes, but the Lancers (7-11, 4-6) now turn their attention to Monday's section contest at Valley. A victory would put Deer Lakes in the playoffs.

“We didn't capitalize on the easy baskets,” Deer Lakes coach Dave Petruska said. “We missed at least seven layups in the first half. Most of those were wide open. That also happened to us Monday (in a 40-36 win at Burrell). If we convert on at least one or two of those, it's a totally different game.”

Each team had two players finish in double figures. Freeport's Jenna Manke led all scorers with 15 points, and she grabbed 12 rebounds. Sidney Shemanski added 11 points and seven rebounds.

Solomon scored a team-high 12 points for the Lancers, and Marie Schmitzer knocked down a trio of 3-pointers and finished with 11.

Schmitzer charged up the home crowd when she nailed a 3 at the buzzer to end the first half.

“We have to use our last four games (of the regular season) as stepping stones and learning experiences,” Petruska said. “At this point, I just want them to continue playing together. I felt they played together for 30 of the 32 minutes (against Freeport). We have to continue to work on making that 32 out of 32 minutes.”

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Freeport