Ranney Thumps Tottenville In Buc

After defeating East Brunswick in the opening round of the Buc Classic, Ranney faced its first major test of the 2023-2024 season against Tottenville, who has shown to be one of the top programs on Staten Island this season. They passed with flying colors.

After a patient first set, Tottenville took the lead on a Justin Jeske layup. Ranney found its first bucket of the game a minute later off a Shaan Nayar corner three. The quarter was played at a fast pace and the teams traded baskets in the middle of the first before Justin Buck drained a corner triple to give Ranney an 11-8 lead with 2:00 to go. Tottenville took a timeout to re-group after several rushed trips up the floor ended in forced and contested shots. Buck’s brother, Drew, ended the quarter with a basket +1 to even the score at 14-14 after a quarter.

MeSean Williams opened the second with a strong take, making the layup and getting fouled. He hit the free throw to give the Panthers a 17-14 lead early in the second. Drew Buck dropped a layup and after a Tottenville turnover and Panthers bucket, Tottenville called time to talk over how to handle the press with Ranney up 21-14 and 6:50 to go in the second. The middle of the second was a helter-skelter full-court press matchup with turnovers aplenty, but Ranney led 25-21 at the midway mark of the quarter. Tottenville tied the game up after a Rexhaj layup with 1:45 to go, but Josh Engel restored the Ranney lead a possession later with a shot from beyond the arc to give the Panthers a 30-27 lead. Williams closed the quarter the same way he opened it—with a basket—this time a three pointer, to send Ranney to the dressing room with a 35-29 lead.

The teams traded misses to start the third, with nearly two minutes and a dozen possessions going off the clock before Drew Buck broke the ice with a layup and foul, extending the Ranney lead to 37-29. Rexhaj answered Buck with a three to cut the lead to five on Tottenville’s next trip up the court. The lead stayed between five and eight for much of the quarter for the Panthers, who did well to hold serve and survive a late quarter run by Tottenville to lead 51-42.

Drew Buck opened the fourth with a pair of free throws to extend the Panther lead to double digits and after Nayar hit two layups in transition, the Panthers ballooned the lead to 63-48 with 3:12 to go. The Panthers would close the game with confidence and book their ticket in the Buc Final with a 73-52 victory.

Case Agency Player Of The Game

Drew Buck, Ranney

The Panthers do it all senior leader stepped up in a big way today. He got to the rim with purpose and was near perfect from the foul line on his way to a 30 point performance. He’llhave to step up again Saturday to give Ranney the Buc Championship.