Deer Lakes boys get playoff win in final seconds
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Friday, February 18, 2022 | 9:59 PM
Deer Lakes’ Michael Butler and Blackhawk’s Lorenzo Jenkins fight for a loose ball during first-round WPIAL Class 2A playoff action Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Armend Karpuzzi (left) celebrates with Justin Brannagan after Brannagan’s 3-pointer to beat Blackhawk during first-round WPIAL Class 2A playoff action Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Armend Karpuzzi scores past Blackhawk’s Carson Heckathorn on Friday.
Deer Lakes’ Nathan Buechel and Derek Burketts (right) defend on Blackhawk’s Lorenzo Jenkins during first-round WPIAL Class 2A playoff action Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes fans react after Justin Brannagan hit a 3-pointer to beat Blackhawk during first-round WPIAL Class 2A playoff action Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Armend Karpuzzi is fouled by Blackhawk’s Lorenzo Jenkins during first-round WPIAL Class 2A playoff action Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Aremend Karpuzzi blocks the shot of Blackhawk’s Carson Heckathorn during first-round WPIAL Class 2A playoff action Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Deer Lakes High School.
The Deer Lakes student section rushes the court after Justin Brannagan’s 3-pointer beat Blackhawk during first-round WPIAL Class 2A playoff action Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Deer Lakes High School.
Deer Lakes’ Armend Karpuzzi defends on Blackhawk’s Lorenzo Jenkins during first-round WPIAL Class 2A playoff action Friday, Feb. 18, 2022, at Deer Lakes High School.
Justin Brannagan’s final field-goal attempt in the final home game of his varsity career ended up being a shot he will remember for the rest of his life.
His Deer Lakes teammates, coaches, classmates and the rest of the Lancers faithful who witnessed Friday’s WPIAL Class 4A first-round game against Blackhawk won’t soon forget, either.
Brannagan nailed a wide-open 3-pointer with 2 seconds left to lift No. 8 Deer Lakes (16-5) to a 39-37 victory over No. 9 Blackhawk (12-10).
“I was a little nervous, but I also had confidence that I would make it,” said Brannagan, who finished the game with seven points. “Teammates, coaches, and everyone else also had that confidence in me. It was a shot they would like me to take, and I took it and made it.”
Blackhawk still had a couple of seconds to get off one final shot, but a half-court attempt by Zach Oliver failed to draw iron. Brannagan then was mobbed at center court as a frenzied celebration began.
“I think it is everyone’s dream to have that one shot to win a game,” Brannagan said. “It is a great feeling.”
Senior Justin Brannagan hits a 3-pointer with 2 seconds left to lift Deer Lakes to a dramatic 39-37 victory over Blackhawk in a WPIAL 4A first-round game Friday night.@TribLiveHSSN @DeerLakesAth pic.twitter.com/PZwSCWITvb
— Michael Love (@Mlove_Trib) February 19, 2022
Brannagan’s winner was set up with a pass in the paint from fellow senior Armend Karpuzi, who drove into the lane and drew a large amount of attention from the defense.
The Cougars were wary of Karpuzi, who had scored 24 of Deer Lakes’ 37 points before that final play. Fifteen of Karpuzi’s points came in the second half, and he had the Lancers’ other nine points in the fourth quarter.
“That was an amazing atmosphere, and my ears are still ringing from how loud it was,” Karpuzi said. “We couldn’t have done it without our fans. We couldn’t have done it without our coaches giving us a great gameplan. It wasn’t easy, but we got the win. I am almost at a loss for words. I am so happy.”
While the celebration continued well after the game, the Deer Lakes players and coaches are turning their attention to their third quarterfinal appearance in the last four years.
The Lancers will match up with No. 1 Quaker Valley (20-0) on Wednesday at QV. Deer Lakes coach Terence Parham said his team, who also has the victory over No. 4 Blackhawk under its belt from Feb. 11, will be ready to go against the WPIAL’s top 4A team.
“I think the best way to describe this (win) is relief,” Parham said. “I am so happy and thankful for these kids. We had extended practices, and they put in the time. ‘Survive and advance’ was the quote to the team before they left. I told them that at this time of the year, it’s about finding a way to win and move on and they did just that.
“We’re going to prepare to not just go over (to Quaker Valley) and be competitive. We’re going over planning to win. When we played North (Catholic), a lot of people wanted to see if we were going to keep it close. No, if they are keeping score, we’re trying to win. Is it going to be easy Wednesday? No, but we’re going there to compete and win the game.”
Deer Lakes came into the game averaging close to 62 points, and Blackhawk was scoring at close to 58 points a contest. The defenses ruled for most of the game, and both offenses struggled at times to finish, especially close to the rim.
Blackhawk held an 18-13 lead at halftime and were ahead by eight points at 30-22 on a layup from Ryan Jones with 1:44 left in the third quarter.
But Deer Lakes countered with a 9-0 run to take its first lead since the midway point of the second quarter. Karpuzi connected on consecutive layups over the first two minutes of fourth as the Lancers led 31-30.
Points were at a premium throughout the final eight minutes.
Deer Lakes led 36-35 and possessed the ball with 22 seconds left, but the Lancers turned the ball over. Junior Bryce Robson fouled Cougars big man Carson Heckathorn with 15 seconds on the clock, and he made both shots to give Blackhawk a 37-36 advantage.
The Lancers brought the ball up the court and called a timeout to set up the final play.
“My message to them throughout the game was that the next one was going in,” Parham said. “That had to be their mentality. I told the guys to be ready to make a big shot down the stretch late in the game. The guys were scrappy, and they put themselves in position to win it.”
Robson, who came into the game averaging 15.6 points, was limited to three against Blackhawk.
Grant Wissner scored a team-high 13 for the Cougars, but he was held without a point in the fourth quarter. Oliver added 11 for Blackhawk, who fell in the first round for the second year in a row after making the Class 4A semifinals in 2020.
“We didn’t play well offensively, necessarily, but it really wasn’t about that. I was proud of their effort,” Cougars coach Brooks Roorback said.
“I told them in the locker room how hard they played and battled and put themselves in a position to win at the end even when were down a little bit, and it didn’t look good. They made a great shot at the end, so we give Deer Lakes a lot of credit.”
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: Blackhawk, Deer Lakes
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