Lady Bucks get one more shot at states in consolation game with Lourdes Regional

 

By Bees O’Brien

FARWELL- The Lady Bucks will get one more chance to extend their season on Thursday night in Montoursville at 6pm when they meet third-seeded Lourdes Regional (15-9).

A win by the fourth-seeded Lady Bucks would give Bucktail (14-10) their first ever state playoff appearance. Bucktail’s furthest they’ve gone in a season was in 2009 when they fell to Benton in the consolation game at Lycoming College.

How They Got Here

Bucktail downed Millville 48-47 in the quarterfinals before dropping a 32-29 heartbreaker to top ranked Meadowbrook Christian.

Lourdes opened the tournament as a possible favorite. The Lady Red Raiders ran through an outmatched Juniata Christian team, 63-12 before being bounced by St. John Neumann 44-33.

The last time Bucktail and Lourdes met was in the 2015 quarterfinals. Lourdes defeat the Lady Bucks in that meeting.

Key Players

Despite fouling out with 5 minutes remaining in the third quarter against Meadowbrook Christian on Saturday night, Matti Mason had scored 10 points and she would end up being high scorer for a sluggish Bucktail offense. Mason will once again be called on for her scoring and overall intensity.

Leading scorer Mak Wagner was held in check by scoring just 8 points, 8 below her season average. Kendall Wagner only netted 3 points. The Wagner sisters will have to come out full force on Thursday if Bucktail is going to make their first ever state playoff appearance.

Eva Sockman has rocked the boards for Bucktail as of late. She has become a physical presence on the glass and her 13 rebounds in the semifinal led the team. Senior Alexis Lowery played with added intensity in the Meadowbrook loss. She was also in double figures with 10 rebounds.

Lourdes also features a double zero. Like Mak Wagner, Masie Reed leads her squad in scoring at 12.2 points per contest. Center Leah Kosmer is second in scoring. Paityn Moyer is third on the team in scoring and standing at 5’10” she leads the Lady Red Raiders with over 9 rebounds per outing.

The Rest Of The Field

St. John Neumann and Meadowbrook Christian, the top seeds in the girls’ 1A field will meet in the title game on Thursday in Montoursville following the Bucktail vs. Lourdes third-place game.