North Catholic boys beat Deer Lakes for 3rd time this season

By: Michael Love
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 | 9:49 PM

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It’s often said it’s a challenge to beat the same team three times in a season.

The North Catholic boys basketball team bucked that belief Wednesday in a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal against section rival Deer Lakes on its home court at the Graham Events Center.

Three players scored in double figures, led by a game-best 20 from junior guard Jude Rottmann, as the Trojans swept the season series from the Lancers with a 65-51 victory.

With the win, North Catholic advanced to Saturday’s semifinals, clinched a PIAA playoff spot and denied Deer Lakes’ bid for a third consecutive WPIAL championship.

“Deer Lakes is such a high-quality team with several really good players,” North Catholic coach Jim Rocco said.

“This is a players’ game, and there were some good ones on both sides going at it tonight. At this point in the year, everyone is well-coached. It’s fun for our guys to compete in games like this. This was an example tonight of a game played the right way. We’re happy and excited to be moving on.”

North Catholic, the No. 2 seed, improved to 18-5 overall and will face No. 3 Beaver in the semifinals Saturday at a site and time to be determined.

The Bobcats turned away No. 6 Central Valley, 58-50, on Wednesday.

“This is awesome for the players and their families,” Rocco said. “We have a very committed senior group. We’re excited for them to still have the opportunity to win a WPIAL championship. It’s also a great feeling to know we will be able to represent the WPIAL and try to do our best in the state tournament.”

For Deer Lakes, the focus turns to staying alive and going after a spot in the PIAA playoffs.

The Lancers (17-6) will return to action Monday in the consolation bracket. They must win two games to earn the fifth and final spot from the WPIAL to the state tournament.

“This was an unusual feeling for most of these guys, losing for the first time in the WPIAL playoffs,” Deer Lakes coach Albie Fletcher said.

“It’s something they haven’t been through. This is a life lesson and a learning experience. We definitely talked after the game about this not being the end for our seniors. We want to keep playing basketball. We have to lick our wounds and get ready to go again. We have some time before Monday to keep battling, keep fighting and get better.”

Rottmann scored just two of his 20 in the second half, but his teammates helped take over the game in the third and fourth quarters.

Junior guard Jason Fredericks scored five in the fourth to cap a 13-point effort, and senior guard Eli Stofko scored eight of his 11 points over the final eight minutes as the Trojans finished off the double-digit win.

Senior starters Owen Maddalon and Joe Waskiewicz were held off the scoreboard in the first half, but each scored six points in the third as North Catholic turned a six-point halftime advantage into an 18-point lead at the end of the third.

The Trojans scored 16 points while limiting the Lancers to four on two-point buckets from junior guard Collin Rodgers and 6-foot-5 senior forward Nathaniel Moore.

Rodgers came back and scored seven in the fourth to finish with a team-best 15.

Moore scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds before fouling out with 4:13 left in the fourth.

Lancers senior guard JT McCue drained a quartet of 3-pointers for 12 points.

“We understood that if we were in control of the ball individually, that we were in good shape,” Rocco said.

“We were guarding the ball really, really well, and the guys did a nice job of staying on that emphasis, especially in that third quarter. Offensively, we started to spread it around a little bit more. It came down to, in a number of cases, one-on-one play and could they beat their guy. We were able to turn the corner a little bit more and get downhill. It helped when (Moore) got into foul trouble a little bit. It became a concern for them, and it looked like he got a little tentative. I thought that helped us.”

Deer Lakes committed five turnovers in the third and finished with an uncharacteristic 17 giveaways overall.

“We just had too many turnovers, and that really hurt us,” Fletcher said.

“We talked at halftime about how we were losing the physical battle on the glass, and we weren’t finding people. It was an emphasis for us to be more physical coming out in the third quarter. We just gave up too many second-chance opportunities. With those things, you aren’t going to win too many games against a good team like that.”

North Catholic and Deer Lakes established an early frenetic and athletic pace. There weren’t many extended half-court possessions.

The Lancers grabbed a 9-2 lead with 3:43 to go in the first, but the Trojans fired back with a quick 8-0 run — fueled by a layup and 3-pointer from Rottmann and a 3-pointer from senior Donnie Schubert — to take the lead.

Moore converted a layup, was fouled and connected on a free throw at the 5:41 mark of the second to put Deer Lakes up 21-17.

North Catholic then used a 13-2 run over the next four minutes of the frame to turn the four-point deficit into a seven-point lead at 30-23 with 1:37 left until the break.

Rottmann finished with 10 points in the second quarter.

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, North Catholic