Bucks hustle to 61-55 win over Benton

FARWELL, PA – It didn’t come easy in Dale Florey Gymnasium Tuesday night, but the Bucktail Bucks kept their poise when the game was on the line and pulled away at the end for a 61-55 win over Benton.

And while Brody Pentz and Gary Whipp will make the headlines with their 26 and 20 points respectively, it was a clutch 3-pointer from Johnny Green that gave the Bucks the lead for good midway through the final period. Benton trailed 19-5 in the first half but chipped away and actually took the lead for a spell in the second half.

But with the game knotted at 51-all with four minutes remaining, Green unleashed a 3-point set-shot to put the Bucks on top at 54-51 and they would not trail again. Coach Mike Charcalla expressed confidence in Green’s effort, stating the long-range bomb is his specialty.

Meanwhile Pentz was a terror on the boards, 16 rebounds in all, including 14 on the defensive board. And Whipp was all over the court, his 20 points a career high. Brett Mason added 6, Green finished with 5, Kyler Friese with 4 and Will Steele with 2.

Coach Charcalla lauded Pentz’s strong performance, labeling him the team’s “go to player” and called Whipp “a skilled guard, quick, (creating) a lot of fast breaks.”

It took everything the Bucks could muster offensively to overcome a herculean effort from the Tigers’ Cayden Beishline who finished with 32 points. Beishline put up 13 points in the second period alone to bring the Tigers back into the contest, the halftime score 29-24 in favor of the Bucks.

Beishline hit four 3-pointers in the first half but would not make another as coach Charcalla switched the Buck defense to a box-and-one.

As for the victory, coach Charcalla said, “The kids needed a win. Hopefully we can keep pushing forward.”

With the win Bucktail goes to 3-6 on the year, Benton dropping to 0-10. The Bucks had defeated Benton on the Tigers’ home floor in December by a 60-41 score. Bucktail will be back in action Friday at Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech (0-7)

Bucks 16 13 16 16 = 61

Benton 5  19 17 14 = 55.