What to watch for in WPIAL sports on Dec. 20, 2024: Neighboring rivals to collide in WPIAL finals rematch

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, December 19, 2024 | 10:30 PM

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A year ago, defending WPIAL 3A boys basketball champion Deer Lakes battled A-K Valley rival Burrell twice in the regular season.

The Lancers swept the Section 3-3A series from the Bucs, winning at home by 22 points and claiming victory at Burrell by only three points.

Deer Lakes won the section by one game over Shady Side Academy while Burrell finished in third place, three games behind the Lancers.

In the 3A postseason, the top-seeded Lancers defeated Sto-Rox, Ellwood City and Neshannock to return to the finals, while the No. 11 Buccaneers stunned Seton LaSalle, Shady Side Academy and Mohawk to set up an improbable third meeting in the WPIAL championship game against Deer Lakes.

The familiar foes battled in out in a tight game throughout with the score tied after one quarter, the Lancers leading by four points at the half and then the lead for Deer Lakes cut to three points heading into the fourth quarter.

Macky Bennis had a game-high 17 points for Burrell, but it wasn’t enough as Deer Lakes prevailed to repeat as WPIAL 3A champs, 55-49.

Billy Schaeffer led the Lancers with 20 points while Collin Rodgers chipped in 12 points. Nathaniel Moore was dominant on the glass with 16 rebounds.

Both teams made the move up in realignment and are now together in Section 1-4A heading into their first matchup of the season Friday at Deer Lakes at 7:30 p.m.

The two-time champs are off to a great start as the Lancers are 6-1 overall and winners of four straight games, including victories over section foes Freeport and Valley.

The Bucs sit at .500 both in the section at 1-1 and overall at 3-3. They had a two-game win streak snapped in their most recent game, a section loss to Knoch.

The perfect opener

In the top three WPIAL boys basketball classifications, Section 2 in Class 4A is the only section that has yet to begin the section schedule.

That changes in a big way Friday evening.

While Ambridge opened at Quaker Valley and Hopewell hosted Avonworth on Thursday, the other section opener pits undefeated Beaver at unbeaten Central Valley.

The Bobcats have knocked off Grove City, Franklin, Blackhawk, Rochester, Shenango, Northgate and Riverside in building a 7-0 record.

The Warriors own victories over West Allegheny, Beaver Falls, Riverview, Nazareth Prep, Bishop Canevin and Southmoreland to sit at 6-0 heading into section play.

Central Valley has been led in scoring by senior guard Isaiah Jeter, who is averaging over 19 points per game, while Beaver has the second-leading scorer in the district in its lineup in senior guard Brady Mayo, who has a 23.6 points-per-game average.

Two for 2A

Two of the four district sections in Class 2A boys basketball have three teams tied for first place.

That will change when two of the three teams in each section collide Friday.

In Section 1-2A, both Greensburg Central Catholic and Jeannette are 2-0 atop the section and a combined 11-0 overall.

Riverview is 4-4 overall but has won both of its section games.

The Raiders have a big test when they travel to Jeannette (5-0) with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.

In Section 3-2A, Chartiers-Houston, Jefferson-Morgan and West Greene have all picked up wins in their first two section contests.

On Friday, Chartiers-Houston (6-1) heads south to visit West Greene (4-2) at 7:30 p.m.

Both are on a roll as the Buccaneers have won four straight while the Pioneers have been winners in their last three.