WPIAL realignment sends Deer Lakes boys basketball away from rivals to unfamiliar section
May 21—The Deer Lakes boys basketball players and coaches have had a couple of days to digest their fate for the next two years in the latest WPIAL section realignment released earlier this week. The Lancers, who made it to the WPIAL semifinals and earned another trip to the state playoffs this past season, are making a significant lateral move in Class 4A away from some entertaining local section rivalries in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Coach Albie Fletcher on Thursday morning said he was a little confused and somewhat disappointed with the move, but he also was confident that his team, led by rising senior guard/forward Evan Moore, the Valley News Dispatch Boys Player of the Year, will settle into the new section matchups and be ready to make another playoff run.
"I was really hoping that we would be able to keep that conference together, mainly for the kids and for the communities," said Fletcher of the Lancers' longstanding rivalries with Freeport, Knoch, Highlands, Burrell and Valley. "Those Tuesday and Friday section games when you are playing local rivals are pretty special and what it's all about. Unfortunately, we are going to lose a lot of that.
But hopefully, we will be able to get out-of-conference games set up with a number of them. " Deer Lakes finished tied for fourth with Highlands in Section 1 at 5-7, one game behind Burrell and also trailing North Catholic and WPIAL champion Knoch. The Lancers played several close section games, and Fletcher said it helped his team in the playoffs, a run that ended with a loss to Obama Academy in the PIAA quarterfinals.
Freeport, Knoch, Highlands, Burrell and Valley will remain together in Section 1 with Derry joining the group. Deer Lakes leaves with North Catholic, and the Lancers and Trojans join Section 4 with Avonworth, Hampton, East Allegheny and West Mifflin. Deer Lakes is no stranger to neighboring Hampton, having played the Talbots in an early season contest the past two seasons.
The Lancers also faced West Mifflin at the Gateway Tournament in late December and rolled past the Titans by 18 points. "That conference is all over the place in terms of travel and distance," said Fletcher as he sized up the new alignment. "But we're looking forward to the new challenges.
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