in like a lamb(erson): Shady side academy sophomore guard cans seven 3-pointers, helps bulldogs upset bishop canevin

Shady Side Academy sophomore guard Kai Lamberson connected on seven 3-pointers to help the Bulldogs beat Bishop Canevin 61-48 Tuesday night during a WPIAL Class 3A first-round playoff game. Josh Rizzo/Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges

EAST CARNEGIE -  Alex Demchak was happy to get out of Kai Lamberson's way Tuesday night. Lamberson, a 5-foot-11 sophomore guard for Shady Side Academy, didn't miss many of his shot attempts during the first round of the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs.

He made six 3-pointers in the first half and added another in the third quarter, finishing with 32 points to help the No. 13 seed Bulldogs collect a 61-48 road win. Demchak had a simple message for what he told his hot-shooting teammate.

"Just keep shooting," said Demchak, who scored 12 points. "We're going to be there for you. He was hitting tonight. I trust him every time. Every time I was running back on the court, I knew he was hitting. I just wanted to be there for him."

Shady Side Academy (9-14) stuck together, especially on defense. The Bulldogs spent much of their time trying to clog up the driving lanes for Bishop Canevin. The fourth-seeded Crusaders never quite found a way to attack Shady Side Academy for long stretches.

"I think they came out and smacked us in the mouth early," Bishop Canevin coach Tim Tyree said. "For us, playing from behind isn't really our game, as you've seen tonight."

The Crusaders (13-9) took its last lead, 5-4, on a 3-point by Damar Olds around 3 minutes into the game. Shady Side Academy responded with a 7-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Lamberson.

"My teammates always have my back," Lamberson said. "They try to rally me each game. They pick me up every time I make a mistake. When they share the ball, it makes me feel ready to shoot and I'm ready for every game."

The Bulldogs stretched their lead to 10 points by the end of the first quarter and led 33-22 at halftime. Demchak said Shady Side Academy wanted to keep the pressure on defensively.

"We've been on that all year," Demchak said. "We've been focused on keeping our hands up, staying on each other when we get fouls and we were being aggressive. We wanted to stay disciplined and keep our hands up."

Drew Allen Jr. was Bishop Canevin's most consistent scorer. Allen finished with 15 points and scored eight in the first half. Allen missed a few minutes in the fourth quarter after suffering from cramping after going up for a layup.

Bishop Canevin, which trailed by as many as 17 points, had the lead down to eight, 52-44, when Austin Wang made a free throw with 4 minutes, 22 seconds remaining. The Crusaders wouldn't get any closer.

"We had to chase around a little bit in the half court defensively and that wore on us," Tyree said. "That didn't allow us to player our best in those last few minutes."

Shady Side Academy coach Jim Dudas said the Bulldogs were prepared fro how they wanted to move the ball if they faced pressure. While Bishop Canevin found success with steals and scores to open the fourth quarter, the momentum dissipated.

"We talked a little bit about how we wanted to approach their trapping," Dudas said. "We worked at this in practice for a couple days. We got a little anxious at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter and didn't handle the traps the way we should have. But we picked it up in the second half of the fourth quarter and spread the court much better."

Lamier Wade also finished in double figures for Bishop Canevin, scoring 12 points. Shady Side Academy was able to set itself up well for springing an upset by taking an early lead and never giving it back.

Demchak said he always believed the Bulldogs could find postseason success, even after they started the season 1-7.

Shady Side Academy proved it has plenty of bite.

"I knew it from the beginning," Demchak said. "Everyone looks at the rankings, but we know that we always start off against the hard schedule. We face off against the 5A like Fox Chapel and Kiski. We're ready for them when we play high competition."

Josh Rizzo is the editor and publisher of Pittsburgh Preps and Colleges. Story ideas can be submitted to [email protected] or on X @J_oshRizzo.