Deer Lakes girls basketball gets in playoff mode early

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, February 9, 2022 | 8:29 PM

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Nikki Fleming said she and her Deer Lakes girls basketball teammates didn’t know what to expect at the start of the season with a new coach and a new system in place.

But the Lancers senior guard pointed to strong team chemistry as a catalyst to improve as the season has progressed.

Winners of four of its past five games, Deer Lakes (8-10 overall, 6-5 Section 1-4A) hopes to keep building and improving as the WPIAL playoffs loom.

“We promised each other that we would work together to get better and play as hard as we could each game,” said Fleming, one of three seniors on the team with point guard Reese Hasley and guard/forward Lydia Guthrie.

“With that, I think we’ve come together to have a pretty good season, and we know we can do even more with the playoffs coming up.”

The Lancers have clinched a spot in the Class 4A field – the brackets will be revealed Monday – and there is some unfinished regular-season business to address Thursday with the Section 1 finale at home against Highlands.

The Golden Rams had an eight-game winning streak snapped last Saturday at section champion Knoch, but they bounced back with a season-high 77 points in an 18-point home win Monday against Freeport.

“In my past experiences, when you get to this point in the season, you want to be in somewhat of a playoff mode,” first-year Deer Lakes coach Sam Salih said. “To have an opportunity to play a really good team like Highlands will set the tone for what the playoffs are going to be like. We have them on our home floor. I know it will be exciting. I think we’ve been in playoff mode the past four or five games.”

Deer Lakes lost to Highlands, 60-45, on Jan. 18.

“We are playing much better now, and the arrow is finally point upward,” Salih said. “We’re playing way better defensively, and we’re sharing the basketball. We’re rebounding, and we’re just paying better attention to details and the little things that can make a big difference. With that, the girls have a lot of confidence.”

Deer Lakes has allowed and average of 36 points over it past five games.

With Knoch and Highlands locked into the top two spots in the section, Deer Lakes hopes to secure third place, and close wins over Burrell (2-15, 2-8) and Freeport (6-9, 5-5) in the second half of section play went a long way in putting the Lancers in a position to do that.

Deer Lakes edged Freeport, 39-37, on Jan. 24 on a 15-foot jumper from senior point guard Reese Hasley with six seconds left.

The two points put her at exactly 1,000 for her varsity career. The Lancers defense then forced a turnover as the Yellowjackets attempted tie the game.

Seven days later, Deer Lakes turned away Burrell 47-45, and Hasley came through again with the game-winning field goal with 4 seconds left.

The Lancers then stole the ball to seal the win.

“When we went up there and beat Burrell handily (61-40 on Jan. 6), we knew the second game was going to be a lot tougher,” Salih said. “Burrell is pretty physical, and they’re long and athletic. We knew it was going to be a challenge. From winning a similar game against Freeport, I knew the girls were confident about playing in close games. It was rewarding to see them pull out those wins. I am blessed to have a college-bound point guard who understands situations and was more than confident to take that shot (against Burrell), because she already was in that situation against Freeport. She wants the ball in her hands with the game on the line.”

Salih said second-half improvement was evident in his team’s 52-21 win at home over Derry last Saturday. Hasley led the way with 15 points, and Fleming added 10 while the Lancers defense limited go-to Trojans scorer Tina Moracco to just 10 points.

In the first meeting, a 53-32 Derry win on Jan. 10, Moracco went off for 39 points.

“In the first game, we got lost, so we were late getting there,” Salih said. “We just came out flat, and Derry was ready to play. It was a really tough game for the girls. But I think that game was our turning point. We did lose some games after that, but the girls had a players-only meeting after that game to talk over some things. From that point forward, I could see a change in terms of working on all of the things that can add up to a win versus a loss.

“In that second game, the girls were determined to not let (Moracco) do the same things she did the first time. We implemented some things defensively we didn’t show the first time, which is usually the case as you add on throughout the season. The girls had a little more in their toolbox, so to speak, and we were able to play well and pick up a nice win.”

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