Talan Ditty shines in Bucktail quarterfinal win
By Bees O’Brien
FARWELL- Bucktail started off slow in their PIAA 1A quarterfinal clash with Northumberland Christian, but they would storm through the Warriors for the final three quarters of play and advance to the semifinals where they will meet top-seeded NP-Liberty at a site, date and time yet to be determined.
Norry Christian rode the back of senior Conner Bennett in the first quarter of play. Bennett would score 13 of the Warriors’ 15 first quarter points to help his team hold a 15-8 lead after one quarter of play. Bennett hit his first three attempts from beyond the arc and nearly repeated his 33-point performance in last season’s playoffs against Bucktail. Bennett finished with 31 on Tuesday night, two points shy of his 33-point night at Loyalsock in last year’s semifinals.
Talan Ditty would take over in the second quarter. The Bucktail senior big man began bossing around 6’5” Ethan Bennett with ease and his effort began to force Warrior turnovers that resulted in Bucktail points.
The Bucks took their first lead halfway through the second quarter on a Brody Pentz three-point play. The Bucks would never trail again and held a 26-24 lead at halftime.
Senior Gary Whipp was hot in the first half by scoring 9 points, but he picked up his third personal in the second quarter. Head coach Travis Fantaskey went to freshman Teagan Stone for some guard play. Stone played a flawless three minutes, despite not scoring and his efforts helped Bucktail get to the locker rooms with the lead.
Conner Bennett returned in the fourth quarter.
The Bucks’ 16-15 third quarter now had them up on Norry 42-39 entering the final quarter of play.
Whipp sparked Bucktail with 4:10 remaining in the game with his third trifecta of the night to give the Bucks a 51-44 lead.
Bennett struck again from outside and followed that up with a drive and score to trim Bucktail’s lead to 51-49.
With 1:48 left it was Bucktail’s star Brody Pentz’s turn to shine. Pentz’s basket was followed up by a strong basket from Talan Ditty with 1:20 remaining in the game. Talan Ditty’s offensive put back with under a minute eventually iced the game and set the final at 60-54.
Ditty finished with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals, but it was his overall hustle and his defensive effort on Ethan Bennett that gave the Bucks a much needed edge.
Brody Pentz finished with 21 points to lead the Bucks, while fellow senior Gary Whipp netted 20 points. Gavin Pick scored 8 points and Aidan Ditty chipped in 4 in the win.
Bennett’s 31 points led all scorers.
The Bucks will next hit the court at a District IV neutral site and square off against the 16-7 NP-Liberty Mounties. Liberty blew past Millville 67-31 in their quarterfinal game. The winner of this contest qualifies for a State Playoff Berth. The loser will drop down to the consolation game with a state playoff spot on the line.
The win improved Bucktail’s record to 11-11 on the season.
Norry                    15           9              15           15           54
Bucktail                     Â
Bucktail- 60
Pentz 7 7-11Â Â 21, Whipp 8 1-3Â Â 20, Pick 3 0-2Â Â 8, A. Ditty 2 0-0Â Â 4, T. Ditty 4 0-3Â Â 8, Stone 0 0-0Â Â 0, TOTALS- 24 8-19 60
3FG- 5 (Whipp 3, Pick 2) Rebounds- 22 (Pentz 7, T. Ditty 7) Steals-11 (T. Ditty 4) Assists- 9 (Pentz 8) Blocks- 2 (Pentz, A. Ditty)
