Deer Lakes mounts 2nd-half rally to beat Knoch in battle for 1st place

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, January 7, 2025 | 10:23 PM

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Something had to give Tuesday evening as the Knoch and Deer Lakes boys basketball teams met with a share of first place on the line in Section 1-4A.

The Lancers came in having won their first four section games, while the Knights were undefeated in three section matchups.

Things didn’t look good for Deer Lakes when the teams went into the locker room at halftime.

But the host Lancers, who scored just 11 points over the first 16 minutes and trailed by 10 at the break, rallied in the third quarter, took the lead for the first time early in the fourth and finished off a 45-38 victory.

“It came down to confidence offensively, all five guys,” said Deer Lakes coach Albie Fletcher about the way his team scored 34 points and doubled up Knoch (34-17) in the second half.

“I couldn’t have been prouder of our defensive effort in the first half, holding them to 21 points. No complaints whatsoever in that regard. But we were just so timid offensively. We came out in the second half and knew we could get into certain defensive sets that we liked and could take advantage of. The guys just believed in each other, and they showed it.”

Deer Lakes won despite being held 21 points under its 66-point season average. The Lancers improved to 11-2 overall and 5-0 in the section.

Knoch, playing for the first time since a 62-57 victory over Altoona’s Bishop Guilfoyle at the Butler Holiday Bash on Dec. 30, fell to 8-4, 3-1 in the section.

“It came down to great preparation and a lot of film work by these guys,” Fletcher said. “My hat’s off to them. They take pride in that preparation. It was a huge win for us in what was a playoff atmosphere. We have great respect for Knoch, their players, and their coaching staff. It means a lot for us to get this W, but we have a lot of work left to get done.”

The rematch at Knoch is set for Jan. 31.

North Catholic, the other undefeated team in Section 1, beat Highlands, 92-71, on Tuesday to keep pace at the top of the section at 4-0.

Nathaniel Moore, who missed Friday’s overtime win at Highlands after having nasal surgery earlier in the day, came back Tuesday and led the way for the Lancers with 24 points and 13 rebounds.

“Nathaniel is a double-double machine for us,” Fletcher said. “We missed him against Highlands, but credit him for coming back and performing the way he did after not being able to do much in practice (Sunday and Monday). He’s one of the best-kept secrets around.”

Moore was limited to just six points at halftime, but he came back to score 11 in the third and seven more in the fourth to pace the comeback.

“We came out hitting shots (in the second half) and just had the right mentality,” Moore said. “It was just a great win. They had us circled on their calendar and we had them circled, too. We played them last year, and it was a tough loss.”

Moore scored Deer Lakes’ first nine points of the third quarter on a layup and a pair of 3-pointers to cut the Knoch lead to two at 21-19.

But the Knights, who got a 3-pointer and a layup from Jackson Bauman and a layup from Teegan Finucan, maintained the lead, albeit by the slimmest of margins, 28-27 at the end of the third.

A layup from Moore with 7:14 left in the fourth gave Deer Lakes its first lead since it was ahead 4-3 midway through the first quarter.

The Lancers’ advantage grew to as much as eight at 42-34 on a layup from Evan Moore with 2:52 to play.

A foul shot from Derek Lang and a 3-pointer from Roman DeFelice kept Knoch close, but Deer Lakes sealed it in the final minute on a layup from Luca Mangieri and a foul shot from Moore.

“The biggest thing was the leadership (in that second half) to do the things we needed to do to keep the lead,” a frustrated Knoch coach Alan Bauman said. “We’re missing that right now. We’re playing all juniors and sophomores, and we need our leadership to develop quicker than where it’s at right now.

“We just didn’t do a good job of controlling the basketball (in the second half) and didn’t make some good decisions, and that’s what happens when you play a good team at their place.”

Knoch was held 25 points under its 63.4 season average.

Lang and Bauman each scored 11 points to lead Knoch, while Teegan Finucan added 10.

Colin Rogers added eight points and six rebounds for Deer Lakes.

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, Knoch