Students offer raucous sendoff as Deer Lakes boys basketball team heads to Hershey for 1st state title game

Tina Cadamore couldn’t contain her pride as the Deer Lakes boys basketball team made the rounds Friday morning at the district’s four buildings.

“I’m here to support my nephew, (player) Billy Schaeffer,” she said between hooting and hollering for the Lancers.

Cheering students and faculty lined the hallways in a raucous Hershey send-off, celebrating the team making it to the state championship game for the first time in school history.

“I’m so proud and ecstatic for him. He’s been working so hard for this since middle school,” said Cadamoref, who graduated from Deer Lakes in 1996 and drives a bus for the district.

“These players are so humble,” she said. “I love seeing them high-five the younger kids and stop to sign autographs for them. Basketball was fun back when I was in high school, but this is absolutely amazing!”

Schaeffer made the go-ahead 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s game against District 6 champion Penn Cambria.

Deer Lakes never lost the lead and went on to win the game 61-56 and advance to the PIAA Class 3A semifinal in Hershey.

The Lancers will face District 12 champion West Catholic at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Giant Center.

Joanna Bieniek, a 1995 Deer Lakes graduate who has been coaching cheerleading for 15 years, said it’s not only exciting to see the players get a shot at a state title, she’s happy for first-year head coach and Deer Lakes alumni Albie Fletcher, a former Lancers player who graduated in 1996.

“Albie and I went to high school together, and I remember sitting in the stands cheering him on,” said Bieniek, who has three children attending Deer Lakes. “It’s amazing to see the support the team has been getting. People have just rallied around these players. I couldn’t be happier or more excited for them.”

Senior Bryce Robson, who shares captain’s duties with Nathan Buechel and Michael Butler, called Friday’s show of support from the student body “unbelievable.”

“Seeing everybody in the community coming out to support the team means so much to us. We couldn’t ask for much more,” he said. “Having all the younger kids asking for autographs is just awesome.”