Bucks looking to make a good run in 2023-24
By Bees O’Brien
FARWELL, PA- The Bucktail Bucks boys basketball team is under new leadership this season and are poised to make the next step forward and become a major player in District IV 1A and within the Mid Penn Conference.
New Bucktail head coach Travis Fantaskey has been blessed with inheriting a senior laden team with tons of talent. Amongst that talent is five seniors, four of which have plenty of varsity time over the past three seasons.
Fantaskey also has plenty of underclassmen talent that begins with his junior class.
Brody Pentz, a second team Mid Penn Selection led the conference in double-doubles with 12 last season. Pentz will be expected to be Bucktail’s top rebounder again, but also has the tools to positively lead this team. He stepped big time last season and was a big part of the Bucks’ playoff appearance in 2022-23.
Gary Whipp, another junior and a Mid Penn Honorable Mention selection a season ago, came from out of nowhere to light scoreboards and present some amazing hustle defense. His guard play on what appears to be a very deep Bucktail squad will be crucial.
Big man Talan Ditty also returns to give the Bucks some added and needed size on the inside. Ditty’s game has vastly improved since his freshman season.
Senior Johnny Green and his sharpshooting from outside returns to the fray. Green had multiple double figure games last season, including scoring 19 points at South Williamsport. Green isn’t afraid to mix it up on the boards too. He’s not the tallest player on the floor, but he knows how to rebound low on the block. Green went from a JV player to a Mid Penn Conference honorable mention at the varsity level.
Green will be joined by the returning Braylon Fantaski. Fantaski has unlimited range from beyond the arc and when he’s on, he’s almost impossible to stop. He can put up big numbers in a hurry.
Senior Brett Mason is yet another scoring threat in Coach Fantaskey’s arsenal. Mason is another guard that can run the floor well.
Senior Will Steele could very well be one of the quickest Buck defenders, but he’s more than one dimensional. Steele can drive and score and his three-point shooting can be on the mark.
Bucktail also returns the versatile Xander Shearer. The sophomore came on strong to close out the 2022-23 season.
The talent pool doesn’t stop there for the Bucks. The freshman trio of Gavin Pick, Aiden Ditty and Steve Heiser have already made their presence known. Expect to see these three on the court a lot during the next four seasons.
The conference schedule for Bucktail is loaded. Muncy, Northwest, St. John Neumann and South Williamsport all qualified for the District IV 2A playoffs last season. Muncy would win the championship, but St. John Neumann and Northwest both qualified for state playoffs.
Sayre is a new non-conference opponent and they too were part of that 2A playoff field as a seven-seed, but fell to Muncy in the quarterfinals. Defending D4 1A champions Sullivan County are on the schedule twice. The Bucks fell to the Griffins 68-36 in the district quarterfinals a season ago.
Millville, Benton, Montgomery and Columbia Montour Vo-Tech will also make up part of their MPC schedule.
Bucktail will also play multiple District 9 teams in non-conference play. Northern Potter and Austin return to the schedule and a pair of games against a new opponent in Curwensville is slated for this season.
The Bucks will also be tested when they travel to 4A Milton on January 18. The Black Panthers were in the District IV 4A playoffs last season and are a new addition to the schedule.
If Bucktail can utilize their talent and navigate a brutal schedule to qualify for their fifth playoff appearance in the last six seasons, then that should be where they make their biggest moves.
