Deer Lakes boys cruise through PIAA 1st round

By: Michael Love
Friday, March 6, 2026 | 9:59 PM

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The Deer Lakes boys basketball team is moving on.

The Lancers, in the PIAA playoffs for the third time in four seasons, shook off some early offensive issues and opened a sizeable lead in their Class 4A opening-round game Friday at District 6 champion Huntingdon.

Three Deer Lakes players scored in double figures, including junior Evan Moore with a monster game of 30 points and 12 rebounds, to lead the WPIAL fourth-place Lancers to a 67-47 victory.

“When we can rebound and play good defense and work well as a team offensively, we can compete with any team in this tournament,” said Rodgers, who added 15 points, six rebounds and five assists.

“We said before the start of the (PIAA) playoffs that we will go anywhere and play anybody. We’re pumped to be moving on.”

Deer Lakes (13-14) advances to the second round and will take on District 10 third-place Hickory on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. Hickory defeated WPIAL runner-up Quaker Valley in a first-round matchup Friday.

“I had a chance to see Hickory play in a little preparation looking out, and they are a very good team. And we knew how good Quaker Valley is,” Deer Lakes coach Albie Fletcher said. “I expected a good game between those teams. The way this tournament works, you kind of have to get ready for the game at hand and also get a couple things rolling for the next possible opponents. We’re excited to still be playing, and we’re looking forward to Tuesday.”

The Lancers had nine days off since their WPIAL third-place consolation loss to North Catholic.

That, coupled with a two-and-a-half-hour bus ride east, had Fletcher a little concerned.

Deer Lakes’ pressure defense helped force 12 Huntingdon turnovers in the first quarter, and the Lancers started to establish themselves offensively.

An 11-0 run over final few minutes of the first quarter and the opening 30 seconds of the second helped Deer Lakes establish a double-digit advantage it wouldn’t relinquish.

The Lancers led by as much as 21 in the first half.

“We got a good scrimmage in this week, but a layoff like that can be tough,” Fletcher said. “They were coming off a tough loss, and they really wanted to get back to playing. But that experience, especially being in the state playoffs before, helped them understand what they had to do. It took them a couple minutes to get their legs under them, and the shots started to fall.”

Moore’s size and athleticism began to get him good opportunities, and he converted seven field goals from medium range on in. He went into halftime with 16 points.

“I just wanted the guys to go out and do what we do, and that includes the pressure from our defense,” Fletcher said. “They did a good job of getting those turnovers and allowing us to establish the lead. I am super proud of the defensive effort tonight.”

Deer Lakes still led by 21 early in the third when Huntingdon countered with an 8-0 run.

The Lancers went cold from the field and from the free-throw line for 3:44 before a layup from Rodgers pushed the Lancers advantage back to 15 at 46-31 with 3:34 left in the quarter.

“I told the guys at halftime that Huntingdon is a good team, and they would have another good run in them,” Fletcher said.

“We’ve seen on film that they had been down in other games and had come back. I was super proud of the way we weathered the storm and ended up winning that third quarter by one.”

Deer Lakes continued to pull away in the fourth, and the lead reached 30 at 67-37 with just a couple of minutes left. Fletcher subbed his starters at that point, and Huntingdon’s starters stayed in for another minute and used a late run to cut the Lancers lead.

Dante Mangieri, on the strength of a trio of 3-pointers, finished with 14 points.

Senior Elliott Guisler, Huntingdon’s leading scorer at 15 points a game, was held to seven in the first half and was shut out in the third. He scored four in the fourth to finish with 11. Starters Kobe Carthen and Brayson Anders added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Senior 6-foot-5 center Caleb Rutter, who had been battling an ankle injury since the start of the postseason, came off the bench to score seven points and add eight rebounds.

“It’s a tough one to go out on, but at the end of the year, only one team gets to walk away with that state title,” Huntingdon coach Jordan Fortson said.

“This is the first time we’ve been in the state playoffs in six years and the first time in six years we won a district championship. I told the guys that I was proud of them. Even though it was a rough ending — Deer Lakes is such a strong team — it was a good season. This is going to sting, but they can’t hang their heads. They have a lot to be proud of.”

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