Deer Lakes’ long run of playoff success ends with loss to Franklin

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, March 16, 2024 | 9:46 PM

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SHARON — Time was dwindling away and the deficit was large, but Deer Lakes decided to ramp up its pressure one more time in Saturday’s state playoff loss.

The Lancers defense forced a half-dozen turnovers in the closing minutes of a PIAA Class 3A quarterfinal, but the climb was too much for Deer Lakes in a 83-66 loss to Franklin. The Lancers won the fourth quarter by six points, yet the previous 24 minutes left them in a hole they didn’t escape.

“I challenged them to leave nothing on this floor,” Deer Lakes coach Albie Fletcher said. “They owed each other that, they owed this community that and, boy, am I proud of the effort. They never quit, but we just came a little too late to the party.”

WPIAL champion Deer Lakes (23-5) was trying to duplicate last year’s historic run to the state finals. But the Lancers fell behind by 10 points in the first quarter, trailed by 15 at half and were down 28 in the third.

District 10 runner-up Franklin shot 58% from the field, led by senior Cole Buckley, a 6-foot-3 guard who had a knack for getting to the rim. Buckley scored a game-high 24 points on a 10-for-12 shooting effort and three teammates also scored in double figures.

Deer Lakes usually thrives on defense, but Franklin found routes to the basket. For that, Fletcher simply gave credit to the opponent’s talent.

“It’s just what they bring to the table and the way they shoot the basketball,” he said. “We had to be smart with our trapping and rotations. We were just a hair off, and they made some big shots.”

Franklin made six 3-pointers, including two by senior Damon Curry, a 6-foot-5 guard who scored 17 points. Jalen Wood added 16 points and Will Findlon had 10.

Franklin (23-5) advanced to rematch District 10 champion Girard (26-2) in a state semifinal Tuesday. Girard defeated Mohawk, 70-50, on Saturday.

Deer Lakes senior Billy Schaeffer and sophomore Collin Rodgers led the Lancers with 16 points apiece, junior Nathaniel Moore had 13 and senior Aiden Fletcher added 10.

“They’re disappointed because their goal was to get back to Hershey and we came up a little bit short,” said Albie Fletcher, the team’s second-year coach. “But I told them there’s no way they can hang their heads. The effort they gave is phenomenal.

“It’s tough to lose four great seniors, but what a legacy they left. Twenty-three wins. They put two more banners in the gym. They laid another brick in the foundation of this program.”

Turnovers played a big part in Deer Lakes’ rough start. The Lancers had six turnovers in the first quarter, three more in the second and also were called for two offensive fouls, taking away 11 first-half possessions. They also shot only 34% from the field in the first half.

They fell behind 10-4 in the first five minutes and never caught up. Franklin led 20-10 after one quarter, 39-24 at halftime and 64-41 after three.

Franklin coach Jason Fulmer said his team’s ability to read and react was a key for handling Deer Lakes’ defense. He said he tries not to be overly structured on the offensive end.

“We like to play fast,” Fulmer said. “This core group of kids has been playing 30, 40, 50 games in the summer and fall. I take the reins off, so we just go play.”

Franklin also showed a knack for offensive rebounds, which was highlighted when the team had three looks at a 3-pointer. Curry buried the third chance for a 60-32 lead with 2:50 left in the third quarter.

“Watching on film, Deer Lakes does a good job on the glass with its two bigs,” Fulmer said. “We really locked down defensively, and offensively we cleaned up the glass very, very well.”

The teams’ rebound totals were about even overall, but Franklin got some offensive boards in key spots.

“Even though the numbers were even, it seemed like they got the important ones,” Fletcher said.

Franklin ended the third quarter with a 23-point lead, but Deer Lakes tried to turn the tide in the fourth.

The Lancers narrowed the gap to 17 with a 7-0 run and a 3-pointer by Schaeffer with 5:30 left. The margin was 13 after a steal and three-point play by Rodgers near the two-minute mark.

But Franklin avoided any late-game drama by making 8 of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter.

“That was a very good basketball team that we played,” Fletcher said. “We tip our hat to them, but I’m proud of the resilience.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: Deer Lakes