Bucktail vs. Northwest called off in third quarter
By Bees O’Brien
SHICKSHINNY-Bucktail’s road trip to Mid Penn Conference East Division rivals Northwest would end prematurely when an altercation between Northwest fans and Bucktail players began to escalate in the third quarter.
Bucktail players were continually harassed by a Northwest fan, who had a megaphone and would single out Bucktail players. The end came when a Bucktail player attempted to explain the situation to the head official. The official then would charge the Bucktail player with a technical foul.
Bucktail head coach Travis Fantaskey would make the decision to defuse the situation himself and called off the game. The decision could have possibly saved an ugly situation into something much worse, especially with the situation at Jersey Shore last week between Milton and the Bulldogs.
The end result was a 52-25 win for the host Rangers, who improved to 11-2 and locked up a PIAA District IV 2A playoff spot.
The Bucks fought hard and only trailed Northwest 15-12 after one quarter of play. The second quarter would see Ranger star Josh Miner knock down 5 three-point baskets, part of a huge 33-point second quarter for Northwest.
With a 48-17 halftime lead, the Rangers looked to be well on their way to victory before the disruption forced the end of the game in the third quarter.
Miner led all scorers with 23 points. Tucker Crawford added 10 points in the win.
Brody Pentz led the now 6-6 Bucks with 11 points.
Bucktail will hit the road again on Saturday with a trip to Benton (4-6) in an important contest in regards to current district playoff standings.
