Neighborhood rival Burrell aims to dethrone defending champion Deer Lakes in WPIAL final

By: Jerin Steele
Thursday, February 29, 2024 | 2:03 PM

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At the beginning of section play, Deer Lakes and Burrell were the top two teams in the Trib HSSN Class 3A boys basketball rankings.

Each team took a different path through January and February with the Lancers keeping their place as the top seed and the Bucs entering the tournament as the 11th seed, but the dust has settled and they’re the last two teams standing in the WPIAL bracket.

The rivals separated by a dozen miles will meet in an ultra-rare all-Alle-Kiski Valley WPIAL boys basketball final at 5 p.m. Friday at Petersen Events Center.

The last time two A-K Valley teams met in a WPIAL final was in 1938 between Har-Brack and Ford City, schools that no longer exist.

Nobody associated with Burrell and Deer Lakes hides the fact there’s a healthy dislike for the other.

But there’s also respect between them.

Both are excited to settle Class 3A supremacy against one another.

“There’s definitely some bad blood between us, but I like the fact that we’re playing against the team that plays the hardest in all the WPIAL,” Burrell senior guard Macky Bennis said. “It won’t be easy, but with the end goal of us winning, it’ll be satisfying knowing that we beat a great team.”

Deer Lakes is seeking back-to-back titles, a feat that hasn’t been achieved by an A-K Valley team since Ford City in 1937-38. Lancers senior guard Billy Schaeffer relishes the opportunity to accomplish that against a main rival.

“It’d mean a lot to our community to bring back a win against them,” Schaeffer said. “It’s not going to be easy. They made it to the championship for a reason, but we have a lot of pride in taking them down on the biggest stage where everyone can see.”

Deer Lakes swept the regular-season series, winning 65-43 in the first meeting in a game where all five Bucs starters fouled out. The Lancers rallied to win the rematch 51-48 at Burrell.

As the top seed and reigning champ, Deer Lakes has withstood some difficult challenges in the playoffs.

It survived overtime in the WPIAL quarterfinals and semifinals. Collin Rodgers hit the winning basket after Nathaniel Moore stole a late inbounds pass to prevail 39-38 over Ellwood City. Moore hit the tying shot in the paint in the final seconds of regulation in the semis against Neshannock, and the Lancers went on to win 84-73.

The Lancers are aware everyone is going to give them their best shot, and that includes Burrell on Friday.

“It’s a completely different challenge for this group, and I love their resiliency,” Lancers coach Albie Fletcher said. “There’s a focus, look and feel to them at the end of games that is 100% confidence. That’s a great feeling to have. They’re locked in, coachable and know what they need to do. Sometimes we make it harder than we need to getting to that point, but I’m proud of them.”

Burrell is the only double-digit seed remaining in the WPIAL playoffs and has used superb defense to spur upsets. The Bucs scored a 55-50 win over Seton LaSalle in the first round before grinding out a 48-44 win over section foe Shady Side Academy in the quarterfinals.

They blitzed past second-seeded Mohawk, 51-34, in the semifinals.

During summer workouts, Burrell coach Mike Fantuzzo and his staff told their senior-heavy group they had a chance to do something special together and reinforced that message entering the playoffs.

“I think it clicked for them when we told them, ‘OK, this could be it if you don’t pick it up,’ ” Fantuzzo said. “We were struggling a little bit from an effort standpoint, but we knew what we could do. We were the 11th seed, but we felt we were better than that seed.

“We just had to win that first one and, once you get past that game, it doesn’t matter if you’re the 16th seed or the second seed, you’re playing a good team at that point. We got over the hump in the first game and came into the Shady Side game really confident and have been rolling from there.”

Deer Lakes can become the first team to go back-to-back in Class 3A since Lincoln Park did so in 2018 and ’19.

“It would feel amazing, and it’s something that we’re prepared to do,” Lancers senior Wayne Love said. “We want to show we’re not a one-trick pony or whatever you want to call us and that we’re here, and we can do it again. We made history last year and want to keep writing it.”

For Burrell, it would be the program’s first WPIAL title and chance to make history for the school.

“I think it would bring the community together and really show what Burrell basketball can do,” Bucs junior Tucker Bitar said. “We’ve had so much talent over the years and could never pull it all together. Winning one would build confidence down the road for others.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes