Bert Roeth and the rest of the Buccs had a tough night against Fairlawn.

2001-02 Season 2001-02 Covington Buccaneers 2001-02 Buccaneer Cheerleaders Jason Meyer goes on to college...

11/30/01 12/01/01 12/07/01 12/08/01 12/14/01 12/15/01 12/21/01 12/22/01 12/28/01 12/29/01 01/04/02 01/05/02 01/11/02 01/12/02 01/18/02 01/25/02 02/01/02 02/02/02 02/08/02 02/15/02 02/19/02 02/23/02 03/01/02 03/08/02 at Arcanum at Fairlawn Miss. Valley at Tipp City at Franklin Monroe Dayton Christian Newton at Anna Russia Marion Local at National Trail at Milton Union Tri Village Versailles Bethel Twin Valley South Tri County North Miami East at Ansonia at Bradford BRADFORD ANNA FORT LORAMIE CEDARVILLE W 79-47 L 70-76 W 72-49 W 53-49 W 63-53 W 55-50 W 70-39 W 52-49 L 57-58 W 55-47 W 58-43 W 73-53 W 56-45 W 68-56 L 64-68 L 53-55 W 67-64 W 54-47 W 88-51 W 88-65 W 84-55 W 97-58 W 66-50 L 39-48 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

December 1, 2001 – FAIRLAWN
The Covington Buccaneers went into a hostile environment against a well balanced team and the results were not what the Buccs had in mind. Fairlawn brought to the table a team that had the size and speed to match the talented Buccs. The result was Covington's first defeat of the young season and a quick reality check for the fans who think teams will lay down for the Buccs this season.

Fairlawn made a statement in the first quarter as they showed they had the style and horses to give the Buccs fits. The Jets jumped out to a 22-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

It appeared as if the Buccs were going to blow Fairlawn out of the gym in the second period as they began to dominate. Josh Burelison put the finishing touches on a 19-6 run with a 2-point shot at the buzzer. The Buccs went into the lock room with the momentum and a 33-28 lead.

Fairlawn would not go away, however. After the Buccs added a few more baskets to increase their lead, Fairlawn fought back and took a 46-45 lead with 2:17 left in the third. A key moment came when Jarod Meyer was called for a foul and then received a technical foul which gave the Jets four cracks at the line. The Jets were able to knock down all four shots and by the end of the third period they increased their lead to 55-52.

The fourth period was back and fourth with neither team giving an inch. The Buccs started getting in foul trouble which sent the Jets to the line numerous times. Fairlawn knocked down many of their free-throws which kept the Buccs at bay by a small margin.

The Buccs had their chances to take command late in the fourth but failed to capitalize on open looks down the stretch. Behind 72-70 with under a minute to go, the Buccs had to foul. Fairlawn again nailed their two free-throws and time ran out on the Buccs.

The Buccs will look to rebound next Friday as they host Mississinawa Valley in their home opener. The Buccs will have their hands full with a tough Blackhawks team that fell to the defending state champions 87-82 Friday night.

Notes: Jason Meyer moved past Mike Schmidt and Bert Roeth moved past Bryan Kenworthy and Eldon Kuntz on the career scoring list.

Buccs Scoring Breakdown:
Jason Meyer – 23, Bert Roeth – 19, Jarod Meyer – 14, Alex Hague – 6, Josh Burelison – 6, Mike Molesky – 2.

Reserve Game:
The Covington Buccaneers reserve team gutted out a 44-42 overtime win on a Dallis Burelison 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left. In a close game throughout, the Buccs forced overtime with 2 free-throws by Ross Mohler with seconds to go in the fourth.

All Great Teams Have Lost...
Everybody loses in life. The greatest teams in all sports at all levels lose. Muhammad Ali lost. The great Chicago Bulls teams of the '90s lost. The Packers of the '60s and Steelers of the 70's lost. It's what makes sports fun to watch and frustrating at the same time.

Vince Lombardi once said, "It's not whether you got knock down but if you got back up."

That's what the Buccs will have to do...get back up. They took one on the chin tonight and it will hurt for a little while. They lost to a better team on this specific night. They have to put this one behind them and move on. They have to learn from the mistakes they made and correct them. Tomorrow is another day and they still have 18 more games to play before the tournaments start.

The fact that the Buccs lost tonight doesn't mean they are not as good as advertised. People can say they had an off night but that wouldn't be accurate either. No team scores 70 points and has an off night. Fairlawn was just better tonight but that doesn't mean the Buccs won't be better should they meet again down the line.

All the loss means is the Buccs will have to pick themselves up off the floor and get back to work. They are still a great team. They still have a group of talented players and a coaching staff that is second to none. They still know how to play the game. They can still win the CCC and make a strong run in the tournament. Even with a loss it's all out there for them. It's all up to them to go get it.