Bucktail draws Lancaster County Christian in first state playoff game since 1989

By Bees O’Brien

FARWELL- In 1989, Bucktail basketball was epic. That was the program’s last district title and last state playoff appearance. Those Bucks would go on to knock off Conneaut Valley in the first round before falling to eventual state champions Monessen in a tight loss.

Fast forward 35 years later and Bucktail is doing it again. It will be Bucktail’s first state playoff appearance since Brody Pentz’s father Dave and first-year head coach Travis Fantaskey’s brother Shawn led the ‘89 Bucks to the pinnacle of high school basketball greatness.

Bucktail (14-11) will meet District 3’s Lancaster County Christian (17-10) in what will be a DeFacto home game for the Bucks at Central Mountain Gymnasium. The game is set for Friday, March 8 at 7:00p.m.

How They Got Here

Bucktail survived an up and down season to reach the District IV 1A playoffs and grab the four seed and earn a home quarterfinal playoff game. The Bucks would storm past Meadowbrook Christian and then roll over top-seeded Northumberland Christian, before holding off underdog Galeton in the tournament final to reach the PIAA 1A State Championship Tournament.

The Bucks played an impressive schedule by going an impressive 11-1 against 1A opponents, including their playoff run. Bucktail has played district playoff teams such as Northern Potter, Sullivan County, Meadowbrook Christian, Benton and 2A playoff teams Curwensville, South Williamsport, Northwest, Muncy and St. John Neumann in the regular season. Neumann, Northwest and Muncy are all heading to the 2A state tournament. This Bucks squad is battle tested and so are their opponents.

Lancaster County Christian plays in a tough District 3. Last season, Linville Hill would represent D3 well with a run clear to the championship game before falling. Lancaster Christian played Linville three times in 2023-24, including a 54-33 loss in the D3 semifinals. Lancaster Christian would then drop the district consolation game to High Point Baptist by a 47-38 count to set up the meeting with the Bucks.

Last year’s D3 fourth place finisher, LaAcademia would travel to Sullivan County and rout the District 4 champions 69-26.

Key Players

It’s no secret that Brody Pentz and Braylon Fantaski have become a very dangerous inside and outside combination and there’s no doubt that the Lions have done their homework.

Fantaski’s amazing 42-point night against Norry Christian was followed up by Pentz’s sixteenth double-double of the season. Pentz’s 34-point and 11-rebound night was a huge part of bringing the big blue trophy back to Farwell.

If Lancaster Christian focuses on those two players, it could be a long night for the Lions. Brett Mason, who’s been playing a little banged up as of late, can scorch defenses from the outside. The senior played extremely well against Norry Christian and that was with a bad ankle. If Mason shows up Friday and he’s at or near 100 percent it will give the Lions another Bucktail weapon to keep an eye on.

If Lancaster Christian mixes it up down low and tries to get physical with Bucktail, they have the perfect solution to that as well. Senior Johnny Green plays way above his height and can physically assert himself against anybody thrown his way. Green kept Norry’s Alec Phillips and Galeton’s John Martin in check in both Bucktail playoff wins to close out the district title run.

Gary Whipp could very well be one of the best pressure defenders in the entire 1A bracket. The speedy junior has made some big plays for the Bucks during the 2023-24 campaign.

Freshman Gavin Pick gives the Bucks some height under the basket and senior Will Steele has been a crucial guard during the run. Steele came off the bench in the district quarterfinal against Meadowbrook Christian to score 10 and spark the Bucks’ go-ahead rally.

Noah MacCartney leads the Lions offense with 13.7 points per outing. Freshman Sheldon Fisher is among the Lions’ leaders in most statistical categories. Fisher averages 11 points per contest and leads the team with 7.2 boards per game. Fisher leads the team in assists, steals and blocked shots.

Logan Esbenshade averages over 8 points per game and Luke Richardson is among team leaders in multiple categories. This is a Lions team that is very talented and athletic, which is usually the trend for D3 1A schools

The Rest Of The Field

The winner of this game will face either District 6 third-place finishers Conemaugh Valley or five-time District 5 champions Berlin Brothersvalley. Berlin made it to the final four in last year’s tournament before falling to Linville Hill in the state semifinals.