West Catholic Defeats Deer Lakes 83-55 for the PIAA Class 3A Championship:Kehler on Hoops

Written by: Dell Jackson on March 27, 2023

West Catholic Defeats Deer Lakes 83-55 for the PIAA Class 3A Championship

West Catholic overwhelmed Deer Lakes on Saturday afternoon at the Giant Center to win the school’s first ever PIAA state basketball championship. The final score was 83 to 55, and the mercy rule was triggered with 3:31 left in the contest. West Catholic was too quick, too explosive, and had too versatile an attack for Deer Lakes in this title game.

However, Deer Lakes got off to a great start on Saturday afternoon, quickly building an 8 to 1 lead in the opening minutes of the game. Deer Lakes scored first on a 3-pointer by deadeye Billy Schaeffer, a 6’ junior, then added a follow by 6’ 5” senior Nate Litrun, and another 3-pointer by Schaeffer. West Catholic then began to find the range, but Schaeffer’s third 3-pointer of the first quarter gave Deer Lakes a 13 to 9 lead. A minute later, Deer Lakes went up 15 to 11 on a hoop inside by 6’ 2” junior Wayne Love.

At that point, West Catholic unleashed a 21 to 2 run to take command of the game. The run started with a 3-pointer by 6’ 2” Micah Waters at the end of the first quarter, then continued into the second frame with a fast break layup by 6’ 5” senior Zion Stanford, a follow by 5’ 10” senior Budd Clark, a dunk by Stanford, two free throws by 6’ 2” senior Amyr Walker, a jumper by 6’ 5” junior Tariq Jennings, two free throws by Stanford, a fast brake dunk by 6’ 5” senior M.J. Branker, a jumper by Clark, and a pull-up jumper by Clark. That barrage made it 32 to 17 in favor of West Catholic, and Deer Lakes never recovered.

Deer Lakes kept trying, though, and they certainly were able to score against West Catholic. In particular, Schaeffer and 6’ senior Bryce Robson spearheaded the Deer Lakes offense. Schaeffer made six 3-pointers in the game and was six of nine in attempts from beyond the arc. Robson hit three 3-pointers but also was able to score from closer to the hoop. However, on defense, Deer Lakes had no answer for West Catholic’s explosive firepower. West Catholic has great team chemistry and a slew of rangy leapers, and they were unstoppable on Saturday. Clark and Stanford work well together, and they combined for the single most spectacular play of the PIAA finals this year, a one-handed ally-oop dunk by Stanford from high above the rim on an assist from Clark.

West Catholic had a decided advantage on the boards, 30 to 17. West Catholic committed only five turnovers in the game, while Deer Lakes had 18 miscues. West Catholic was 15 of 24 from the free throw line, and Deer Lakes was six of 11 from the stripe. West Catholic scored twice from behind the arc, and Deer Lakes made nine 3-pointers on 21 attempts from deep.

West Catholic scoring: Budd Clark 32, Zion Stanford 30, Micah Waters 5, M.J. Branker 4, Kingston Wheatley 3, Mike Singleton 3, Amyr Walker 2, Tariq Jennings 2, and Jah Tyler 2.

Deer Lakes scoring: Billy Schaeffer 21, Bryce Robson 20, Wayne Love 8, Nate Litrun 2, and Aiden Fletcher 2.

Some other notable stats: For West Catholic, Clark had nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals; Walker had six rebounds; and Stanford had four rebounds and three steals. Clark was 16 of 18 from the field, all of them 2-pointers, and West Catholic, as a team, was 33 of 54 from the field. For Deer Lakes, 6’ 2” senior Nate Buechel had four rebounds, and Schaeffer had three rebounds and two assists.

Deer Lakes     15   4      20   16-55
West Catholic 14  24    28   17-83

PIAA District 12 Class 3A champions West Catholic had a terrific season, finishing with a 20-10 record. They play in the top high school basketball conference in the state, the Philadelphia Catholic League, and they advanced to the semifinals of the league playoffs. They have a superb coach, and there are some promising underclassmen on the roster.

Deer Lakes was the Class 3A champion of PIAA District 7 this season, and they finish an exceptional campaign with a 21-9 record. Sharpshooter Billy Schaeffer is a junior, as is Wayne Love, so they should be formidable next season.

On Twitter: @david_kehler

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