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Josh Burelison calls a time-out after he battled his way for possession of a loose ball.
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Team
Covington
Bethel
Tri-County North
Tri-Village
Twin Valley South
Newton
Franklin Monroe
Arcanum
National Trail
Ansonia
Mississinawa Valley
Bradford
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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
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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
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February 1, 2002 – COVINGTON
The Cross County Conference may just be the toughest conference in the state. On any given night anyone can be beaten. Proof is the fact that Bethel was beaten by Tri-Village and Twin Valley South was upset by Newton tonight. How could it be that the Buccs dominated Newton and pretty much controlled Tri-Village but lost back-to-back games against Bethel and Twin Valley South? The answer is easy. There are no gimmees in the CCC and the margin for error is very thin.
Tri-County North came to town tonight and gave the Buccs all they could handle. The Buccs prevailed by the slim margin of 67-64 but North made it very tough on the Buccs with their quickness and aggressiveness. The Buccs had to fight and scratch for every point and every rebound because North came to play.
Jason Meyer made a statement early that he wasn't going to allow the Buccs to get off to a slow start for the third straight game. Jason got the Buccs started by scoring 12 of the Buccs 18 points in the first period. At one point he nailed three straight 3-pointers, the third came as he was fouled which resulted in a 4-point play. Josh Burelison put the Buccs up 18-11 to close out the period on a steal and a lay-up.
Jarod Meyer pushed the Buccs' lead to 20-11 early in the second with a jumper. North battled back and was able to close the gap to 24-21 before Jason Meyer caught fire again. Jason scored the Buccs' next six points to push their lead to 31-23, forcing North to call a time-out. North again closed the gap to 33-28 but Bert Roeth canned a jumper at the buzzer to give the Buccs a 35-28 lead going into the half.
North made some half-time adjustments by putting more pressure on Jason Meyer every time he got his hands on the ball. Jason was able to find the open man which resulted in numerous easy buckets in the paint for the likes of Matt Maier. Matt scored 6 of his 9 points in the third and became a force on the offensive glass.
Meanwhile, Tri-County started to find their stroke from the outside and managed to take a 46-45 lead with 3:51 left in the third which would be their final lead of the game. Jason Meyer broke free for a lay-up and then hit two free throws to put the Buccs up 49-46. By the end of the third North tied the score at 51 on a tip-in at the buzzer.
The Buccs opened up a 8-point lead to start the fourth on two buckets by Jarod Meyer and baskets by Matt Maier and Bert Roeth. After a North lay-up Jason Meyer drove to the hoop for a basket and Matt Maier canned a free throw to give the Buccs a 9-point lead with 4:30 to play. North then went on an 8-0 run to close the Buccs' lead to 62-61 with 1:02 left to force the Buccaneer' contingent to take a deep breath. Coach craft called a time-out to regroup and settle his team for the final stretch. The result was magnificent ball handling and accurate free throw shooting. The Buccs canned 5 out of 6 free throws in the final minute to get back in the win column, 67-64.
Tomorrow night the Buccs host Miami East in their final home game of the season. A win over Miami East will give the Buccs much needed momentum heading into the final two games of the regular season and the upcoming tournament.
Buccs' Scoring Breakdown:
Jason Meyer – 25
Bert Roeth – 15
Jarod Meyer – 10
Matt Maier – 9
Josh Burelison – 6
Clint Mohler – 2
Buccs' Rebounds:
Matt Maier – 8
Jason Meyer – 7
Bert Roeth – 3
Jarod Meyer – 3
Josh Burelison – 2
Alex Hague – 1
Clint Mohler – 1
