Deer Lakes tandem leads upset of Hopewell in Class 4A boys quarterfinals

By: Antonio Rossetti
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | 9:17 PM

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No. 13 Deer Lakes drove No. 5 Hopewell out of the playoffs for a second consecutive upset in a 71-59 boys basketball victory to earn a trip to the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals.

This is the Lancers’ third semifinal appearance in the past four seasons. They won the WPIAL title after their previous semifinal appearances.

“Seed-wise, it’s an upset, but going into every game, we think we’ve got at least a 50-50 chance to win,” point guard Collin Rodgers said. “In the playoffs, seeding doesn’t matter. It’s win or go home.”

The Lancers (12-12) were spearheaded by forward Evan Moore, who delivered 33 points and six rebounds, and Rodgers who racked up 17 points, eight steals and seven assists.

“I think it’s just doing our job and doing whatever needs to get done to get the win,” Rodgers said. “When (Moore is) open and you get him the ball on the block, nobody can really guard him. We just try to take advantage of those mismatches and take the lead from there.”

The Rodgers-Moore duo connected all night, sparking an 8-1 run to start the second quarter to go up 21-14. The Lancers kept the lead the rest of the game.

Hopewell (15-9) was led by James “Booboo” Armstrong, who tallied 28 points and 11 rebounds.

The first quarter showcased eight lead changes and five ties, with the quarter ending 13-13.

Deer Lakes outscored Hopewell, 20-7, in the second quarter using an intense half-court trap.

The Lancers led 33-20 at halftime, with Moore scoring 18 of the points, holding a star-studded Hopewell team in check.

The Lancers forced 16 Hopewell turnovers for the game.

“You’ve got to have a dog mentality — that’s what our coach says,” Rodgers said. “You’ve got to be willing to take your guy straight up and win that individual matchup, whatever it takes. Know their tendencies, keep them in front of you, and limit them on the glass and on the scoreboard.”

Moore emphasized the strong connection he has with point guard Rodgers.

“He’s always coming in with the double teams, getting steals,” Moore said. “That pushes us in transition and gets us wide-open looks. That helps us a lot.”

The steals led to Rodgers setting up his Lancers teammates, as Luca Mangieri added nine points and Dylan Ferraro eight.

Justin Shegog added 15 points and three 3s for Hopewell.

However, Deer Lakes controlled the tempo and was able to keep an athletic Hopewell team from transitioning into offense, pressuring Hopewell.

“We were supposed to slow them down when we were pressing, get the trap and get steals,” Moore said. “That’s about it — don’t let them get to the basket and score.”

The Lancers had their largest lead of the game at 37-22. Hopewell cut it to 37-27, but Deer Lakes battled through Hopewell’s defensive adjustments and went back up 49-35.

However, Hopewell’s Jack Biega nailed a half-court buzzer beater to trim it to 49-38 going into the fourth.

The Vikings carried the momentum into the fourth quarter, and after an Armstrong layup, Hopewell was down 56-49.

The Vikings made it even closer when Justin Shegog buried a 3 and Armstrong made a layup to cut it to 60-56.

After Mangieri made one free throw with 1:46 left, Deer Lakes forced a pass that flew out of bounds.

Rodgers hit one free throw, and Shegog hit another 3 to cut it to 62-59.

Moore, however, converted a layup to go up 64-59.

Deer Lakes’ defense led to another Hopewell miss. An over-the-back foul on Armstrong led to Rodgers making another two free throws to go up 66-59.

Rodgers hit the dagger on a steal and layup to seal the victory.

The Deer Lakes supporters were energized the entire game.

“It’s amazing,” Moore said. “It’s great to have all those fans boost our energy when we’re out there.”

Rodgers, a member of the 2024 Deer Lakes championship team, also feeds off the energy.

“They’ve been here since the beginning of the season,” Rodgers said. “Even when we weren’t doing as well. They’ve stuck it through with us.”

Tags: Deer Lakes, Hopewell