Untitled Page
 |
|
Dusty Blythe and the Buccs head into tournament play Tuesday night in a rematch with Bradford.
|
|
|
Untitled Page
|
Untitled Page
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Team
Covington
Bethel
Tri-County North
Tri-Village
Twin Valley South
Newton
Franklin Monroe
Arcanum
National Trail
Ansonia
Mississinawa Valley
Bradford
|
CCC
9-2
9-2
9-2
9-2
8-3
6-5
5-6
4-7
3-8
2-9
2-9
0-11
|
ALL
16-4
16-4
16-4
14-6
15-5
10-10
9-11
5-15
5-15
4-16
3-17
0-20
|
|
|
|
|
February 15, 2002 – BRADFORD
The Covington Buccaneers locked up a share of the CCC title with a 88-65 win over a very gritty Bradford team tonight. The Buccs share the conference championship with Bethel, Tri-Village and Tri-County North, each with a 9-2 conference record.
Bradford came into tonight's game settled at the bottom of the conference standings but looked nothing like a 0-19 team. The Railroaders were outgunned with talent but not with effort. They made life difficult at times for the Buccs in what was a much closer game than expected. Bradford showed why you can throw the records out the window when these two teams meet.
The Buccs jumped on the Railroaders early as they built a 14-4 lead in the first 3:20 seconds of the game. Josh Burelison, Jason Meyer and Jarod Meyer led the way with 23 of the Buccs' 25 first quarter points as they mounted a 15-point lead after one.
Bradford cut the Buccs' lead to 7 midway through the second as they went on a 12-6 run. After a Covington time-out, the Buccs went back to work and outscored Bradford 17-3 the rest of the first half. Alex Hague got the Buccs rolling with a 3-pointer and Bert Roeth dropped in 8 straight points to give the Buccs a 48-27 lead at the half.
The Buccs dominated on the offensive end in the third by racking up 27 points in the period. Josh Burelison, who scored 8 points in the third, started things off with a tip-in off of a Jarod Meyer miss. Jason meyer canned a 3-pointer and then brought the house down with a breakaway dunk to put the Buccs up by 30 points, 59-29. Bradford was able to drill some tough shots and a few 3-pointers but the Buccs built a 77-42 lead by the end of the third.
With the game well in hand, the Buccs started to look lackluster. Bradford, on the other hand, went of fire. The Railroaders outscored the Buccs 23-11 in the final period, which probably didn't sit well with Coach Craft because the Buccs have to face this same opponent next Tuesday. Bradford drilled six 3-pointers in the period and took advantage of poor execution by the Buccs. It was a little too late, however, for Bradford as the Buccs took home a 88-65 win.
The Buccs did benefit from a balanced scoring attack which resulted in four players in double figures. Jason Meyer led the way with 19 points while Bert Roeth dropped in 18. Jarod Meyer and Josh Burelison also had solid offensive games with 16 and 15 points respectively.
The Buccs end their regular season with and outstanding 16-4 record and 9-2 in the CCC. The Buccs begin tournament play next Tuesday at Piqua High School against Bradford.
Notes: Four current Buccaneer players end the regular season in the Buccs' 600-point club. They are as follows:
Jason Meyer – 1,413
Bert Roeth – 902
Jarod Meyer – 795
Josh Burelison – 678
Jason Meyer finishes the regular season at 608 for third on the Buccs' career rebounding list.
Buccs Scoring Breakdown:
Jason Meyer – 19
Bert Roeth – 18
Jarod Meyer – 16
Josh Burelison – 15
Clint Mohler – 8
Alex Hague – 6
Derick Brumbaugh – 2
Matt Maier – 2
Dan Kizer – 1
Brady Reck – 1
Buccs Rebounding:
Matt Maier – 7
Clint Mohler – 5
Jason Meyer – 5
Josh Burelison – 3
Dusty Blythe – 2
Jarod Meyer – 2
Mike Molesky – 2
Bert Roeth – 2
The Muscle In The Middle...
The 2001-2002 Covington Buccaneers are known as an awesome scoring machine and rightfully so with four players with over 600 career points. They are the big four for the Buccs, Jason Meyer, Bert Roeth, Jarod Meyer and Josh Burelison.
There are four other players for the Buccs that do the less glamorous grunt work for the Buccs. They use their size and muscle to control the boards and pound flesh with the larger fellas on the floor. These four players get little recognition outside of Covington but the Bucc fans who make it to most of the games notice their impact and importance to the team.
Consider throughout the season and the teams the Buccs have played and it's evident how valuable Derick Brumbaugh, Mike Molesky, Matt Maier and Clint Mohler are to the Buccs. Miami East, Bethel, Fairlawn, Russia, Versailles, Marion Local, Twin Valley South and Tipp City all had big men who dominate most other opponents. The Buccs' four big men more than held their own throughout the season. With tournaments around the corner, these four players will be vital to the Buccs' success.
Senior, Derick Brumbaugh is the starting big man who has consistently taken on the best big players in the area. Derick made life difficult for Zack Comer of Miami East and the Monroe boys from Tipp City. In both games, Brumbaugh quietly held the big men in check.
Mike Molesky is a senior who comes off the bench to provide depth in the middle. Mike has the knack for playing solid defense and coming away with blocked shots. Mike is the most physical of the four, taking a football player's mentality onto the floor.
Matt Maier is the only Junior on the varsity squad and is perhaps the strongest player on the Buccs' team. Matt comes off the bench to provide more of a scoring threat as well as a solid rebounding presence.
Another senior, Clint Mohler isn't as big as Derick, Mike and Matt but his athletic ability allows coach Craft the luxury of playing clint on the inside. Mohler has consistently had solid games throughout the season for the Buccs and is able to run the floor. Mohler is arguable the best all-around player the Buccs have coming off of the bench.
Having four solid players in the middle provides the Buccs with depth. If the Buccs hope to go deep into the tournament they will need all four players to contribute. Jason Meyer, Bert Roeth, Jarod Meyer and Josh Burelison will continue to get their points but the Buccs go as far as the big men take them. They are the key in controlling the boards as well as controlling the other big men on the opposing side. With perhaps, Fairlawn, Bethel, Southeastern and Russia on the horizon, these four players may be the difference between a memorable tournament and an early exit.
