2015 Lady Bucks – A Season for the Ages
by Jim Morgan
FAREWELL – The gym at Bucktail sits quiet now after another season of basketball is in the history books of Bucktail High School. This season had a lot of history and a level of Lady Bucks’ basketball never seen in Renovo.
It was always on the boys side that made basketball rich in history here in Renovo but it was six years ago, the 2008-2009 season, that Coach Carl Gentzyel had his second team ever in Lady Bucks basketball in the District IV play-offs; they won their first play-off game before losing the next two games as they finished with the best record of Lady Bucks basketball 15-10.
That same year was when the 2014-2015 Lady Bucks team was assembled in sixth grade. It was the first year that the Keystone Central schools at the elementary level decided to play between each other even the Catholic School in Lock Haven. We had boys and girls teams from third to sixth grade in which each school had a major and minor team. The Renovo Elementary played all their games at Bucktail High School while the other schools played at the Central Mountain Middle School.
This giving coach Jim Morgan and then coach Rusty Blessard the opportunity to work with this special group of girls: Seniors Shae Cowfer, Maria Morgan, Natasha Peck, Abby Ransom, Alaina Tripp and Tiffany Werts. Werts did not play with this group of girls until her sophomore year. At the sixth grade level it was Meridith Blessard and Alison Schenck. Two special juniors have been playing with this group of seniors since their fifth grade year in Paige Sockman and Bridget Gardner.
You cannot predict the future by any means! Back in the ‘08-09 season at the sixth grade level, this group of girls went 22-0 in four tournaments. They won the Wellsboro, Towanda, Hughesville and Renovo Tournaments. Before the Renovo Tourney, coaches Morgan and Blessard sat these girls down and talked to them about how special they are as a team. We told them if they continue to work hard they could make their own history in Lady Bucks Basketball. Even back then Morgan and Blessard believed that this team could play with anybody. I mean anybody! Still even today I would put this team up against any team. Because I know that coach from the other team at the end will be saying “WOW” they do not give up!
The most memorable game in sixth grade was against the all-star team from Central Mountain as they led 12-0 to start the game and these girls came back and won. That is when Clinton County got to know this Lady Bucks team.
At the junior high level this team started to fill the gym at Bucktail for games. Teams from around the area were starting to get to know these Lady Bucks and what was in store for them at the varsity level. Back then the junior high would play both junior high teams from Williamsport (Lycoming & Curtin). In eighth grade, Lycoming came to Bucktail with a 5-0 record as the Lady Bucks were at 4-0. Williamsport followers came to help pack the gym that night. You would have thought it was a varsity game that night. The Lady Bucks just rolled over the team from Williamsport as the coach and parents quickly spread the word about this Lady Bucks team. That same year they took Curtin into triple overtime before coming out of their gym with the victory.
You cannot predict the future by any means! Life throws you curves? 9th Grade is here and all of them are up at the varsity/jv level. Some of them move up to varsity and some of them have the chance to play both as some of them play jv only. Not only did they start contributing at the varsity level but they pushed the upper classmen to work harder at practice. This group of seniors never complained about running at practice.
By this time, this group of seniors was changing already. Shae Cowfer moved out of the area for two years and returned back to the team in their sophomore year. Cowfer was the enforcer of the team. She played hard on defense and would put the pressure on the ball handler. Yes, she fouled a lot. But she had everyone’s back and when she did foul they surely knew who fouled them. She may not have scored a lot but she hustled every minute on the court.
Meridith Blessard played here at Bucktail up until her sophomore year. Then her family moved to Maine that summer of her junior year. Natasha Peck was a player that could get down the court for a lay-up from Morgan. Peck had speed and a nose for running loose balls down. Unfortunately she suffered knee injuries in four games of her junior year and then the ninth game of her senior year.
Abby Ransom may not have shown that basketball player on the court, but there is one thing you are not taking from her and that she had a lot of heart for her teammates. Only her teammates could get her up for a big game. She was the shot from the wing. For the longest time she would not shoot the ball, until we had her understand this year that she needs to shoot. So the defense would start defending her, thus allowing Morgan to do other things on the court.
Alaina Tripp was used in many ways and never complained. She started out as one of Morgan’s wing persons during their sophomore and junior years. Then after Peck was injured this year, Tripp was asked to go underneath some games for rebounding as she also worked hard on the baseline. Tripp would be shooting from either corner of the baseline but her best shot was from the right side of the foul line where she would get hot.
Tiffany Werts moved into the area for their sophomore year and started to show signs of being effective underneath. This past summer she and Morgan worked together so Werts could get stronger and more confidence with Morgan’s passes. That hard work paid off throughout the season as she recorded 16 double-doubles. The team relied on her for playing big underneath.
Maria Morgan was the leader of the Lady Bucks for the past four years on the floor. Everybody would look for her to bring the ball up the court against any press defense. The most impressive thing about Morgan was that her teammates or classmates knew that if they can get to an open area, she was going to find them; especially when every team was looking to try to trap or double team her.
It is very rare that you have this many seniors on a team at one time. What is most impressive is that they all knew their role as a player and that they each had each other’s back. As a team, they accomplished so much in four years and set the bar high for Lady Bucks Basketball to live up to.
Coach Gentzyel has been coaching for 25 years and has never had seasons like he did in the last four years, let alone the girls basketball program itself. There were a lot of first times for Lady Bucks basketball. Teams in the league would in the past would say “ just Bucktail this game.” But not on the couple of special teams that coach Gentzyel had in the past. In these last four years, teams knew when they played the Lady Bucks it was not going to be a push-over.
Remember it took all of the girls to have this success as a team. Yes, Morgan was the main work horse of the team but Morgan knew if it was not for her teammates or classmates the team would not be successful. It is that special magic of a team that is hard to pinpoint why they had so much success for six years of playing ball. Is it because each of them has so much support at home to the court? Is it because each of them forget everything else and know what needs to be done on the court to win? It is that they trust each other during the game.
There is one thing that coaches tell their players. Let everything on the court. Do not second guess yourself by saying “what if I would have done this”? These girls did just that during the play-off game against Lourdes Regional. As the Lady Bucks of 2014-2015 went out in class by going to the half court and bowing to the packed crowd and sayng “THANK YOU” to a standing ovation! To the Lady Bucks coaches Gentzyel and Morgan “Thank You all” for a most wonderful and memorable season ever!
Four Year Team Accomplishments:
In the 2014-2015 season they posted the best record 17-6. Most wins by any Lady Bucks team 17. Best record coming out of December 7-1. Second longest winning streak as they ended the regular season with 7 straight. Received the highest seeding in Play-Offs (#4 Seed). Also the first Play-Off game at Home against Lourdes Regional. The most crowds for 11 Home games in one season. The first team to play back-to-back play-off seasons. The first team to play in three Play-Off games. First team to have two consecutive winning seasons 13-14 (14-9) & 14-15 (17-6). The most wins for one class (52-39). 13-14 season had the longest winning streak of 8 games and Congratulations to Coach Gentzyel for receiving Coach of the Year.
Four Year Individual Accomplishments:
Here is what this class did individually during their career as a Lady Buck player.
Morgan played a total of 90 Varsity games as she finished with 2407 total points avg. 26.7 per game. 640 Assists avg. 7.1 per game. Steals 543 avg. 6.0 per game. Rebounds 446 avg. 5.0 per game. Shot 44% (888/2020) from the field. Free Throws 65.3% (437/669).
Werts played a total of 67 Varsity games as she finished with 562 total points avg. 8.4 per game. Assists 13, Steals 57, Rebounds 597 avg. 8.9 per game. Shot 41.5% (250/602) from the field. Free Throws 41.9% (62/148).
Tripp played a total of 69 Varsity games as she finished with 369 total points avg. 5.3 per game. Assists 42, Steals 63, Rebounds 308 avg. 4.5 per game. Shot 28% (169/604) from the field. Free Throws 50% (27/54).
Ransom played a total of 34 Varsity games as she finished with 105 total points avg. 3.1 per game. Assists 15, Steals 20, Rebounds 61. Shot 27.2% (47/173) from the field. Free Throws 100% (2/2).
Cowfer played a total of 45 Varsity games as she finished with 59 total points avg. 1.3 per game. Assists 21, Steals 44, Rebounds 99. Shot 19.3% (27/140) from the field. Free Throws 45.5% (5/11).
Peck played a total of 52 Varsity games as she finished with 176 points avg. 3.4 per game. Assists 20, Steals 43, Rebounds 176 avg. 3.4 per game. Shot 25.3% (74/293) from the field. Free Throws 36.4% (12/33).
Blessard played a total of 44 Varsity games as she finished with 236 Points avg. 5.4 per game. Assists 103, Steals 112 avg. 2.5 per game. Rebounds 281 avg. 6.4 per game. Shot 35% (100/288). Free Throws 34% (10/29).
