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Jarod Meyer goes up for 2 of his 16 points as the Buccs fall to Twin Valley South by the score of 55-53.
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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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January 25, 2002 – COVINGTON
Coming off of a narrow 4-point loss last Friday night to defending state champions, Bethel, the Buccs were looking to bounce back against another tough opponent in Twin Valley South. The Panthers came into tonight's game tied with Bethel at the top of the CCC standings and with only one loss on the season. A win by the Buccs would tie them for second in the conference standings and give them hope that a Twin Valley South win over Bethel next week would at least put them in position to capture a share of the CCC title.
It was not meant to be, however. The Panthers brought to the table a quick, athletic defense and a rowdy "6th Man Crew" that annoyed the Buccs all night. When it was all said and done, the Buccs came out on the short end of a narrow 55-53 score.
The game was close throughout as both teams used aggressive defense to keep the other off balance. The Buccs went up 4-0 early on two Jason Meyer jumpers but South quickly tied up the score at 6 on a layup plus a foul shot. The Panthers took their first lead of the game on two free throws which brought the "6th Man Crew" to their feet. South then built a 6-point lead at 14-8 before a Jarod Meyer jumper closed the gap back to four. The two teams traded baskets as the first quarter came to a close to make the score 16-12 in favor of South.
The Panthers increased their lead to 8 points on two free throws and a jumper at the beginning of the second. Josh Burelison caught fire with two jumpers and a layup off of a nice spin move to cut the Panther lead to 3, 23-20. After a jumper by South, Matt Maier powered his way to the hoop and Jason Meyer drilled two free throws to keep the Buccs within striking distance 29-26 at the half.
The Buccs acquired some misfortune early in the third period as Jason Meyer recorded his third foul which sent him to the bench. Jarod Meyer hit on two free throws and Bert Roeth canned a jumper to give the Buccs some momentum but South responded with three straight 3-pointers to push their lead to 41-33. The Buccs went on a 6-0 run behind the efforts of Clint Mohler and Jarod Meyer to close out the third.
The final period consisted of solid defense and missed opportunities by both teams. The two teams traded baskets until Jason Meyer tied the score at 47 with 2:42 left in the game. The Panthers went into ball control mode which took time off of the clock and made the Buccs work extra hard on defense. South nailed a jumper to go up 49-47 and then forced Jason Meyer into his 5th foul. Two South free throws later and the Buccs trailed by 4 points with 1:59 to go. Bert Roeth closed the gap to 51-50 on a layup and a free throw with 47 seconds left which set up the exciting, yet controversial finish.
Josh Burelison appeared to make the play of the game which controversially backfired on the Buccs. Burelison snuck behind a Panther ball handler and appeared to cleanly steal the ball from behind. As Jarod Meyer scooped up the ball with a clear path to the basket, the whistle blew. Burelison was charged with a reach-in foul which sent the Panthers to the line. South knocked down 1 of 2 free throws which made the score 52-50 but more importantly forced the Buccs into fouling mode.
The Buccs still had their opportunities to win the game in the final 30 seconds because of 3 missed free throws by South. Jarod Meyer narrowed the score to 53-52 with 22 seconds left. After South converted on 1 out of 2 free throws, Jarod Meyer had a chance to tie the score at the line. Jarod missed his first free throw and made the second, leaving the Buccs down by 1-point. The Buccs fould again with under 10 seconds to go and again, South made 1 out of 2 free throws, giving the Buccs a chance to capture the win. With 5 seconds left in the game Jarod Meyer drove the length of the floor. His shot from about 17 feet fell short which brought the Panthers' "6th Man Crew" out on the floor to celebrate a 55-53 win.
The loss drops the Buccs to 12-4 on the season and 6-2 in the CCC. They hope to rebound next weekend as the host Tri-County North on Friday and Miami East on Saturday in their final two home games of the season. The Buccs look to use the final four games to prepare for a tournament run a month from now.
The Buccaneers' tough schedule and experience in close games will benefit them down the line. Also, the Buccs still have a very talented group of seniors who know how to bounce back from back-to-back losses. Remember, they have four players who each have over 600 career points and they won't shoot 7 out of 17 from inside the paint every night. Yes, the Buccs are still pretty darn good and nobody wants to play them come tournament time.
Buccs Scoring:
Jason Meyer – 16
Jaord Meyer - 16
Bert Roeth - 9
Josh Burelison - 6
Clint Mohler - 2
Mike Molesky - 2
Matt Maier - 2
Buccs Rebounding:
Jarod Meyer – 6
Derick Brumbaugh – 6
Bert Roeth – 3
Josh Bureliosn – 2
Clint Mohler – 2
Jason Meyer – 2
Matt Maier – 1
Down To The Wire...
Numbing....is the term to describe the mood at Covington and Miami East after heartbreaking losses over the weekend. Covington's loss to Twin Valley South on Friday...and Miami East's last-second loss to Bellefontaine on Saturday left both schools in "must win" situations come this weekend.
"Obviously, we want to prove that we can win against the best competition out there going into the tournament draw," said East's Allen Mack prior to Saturday's game. "Everyone wants to believe they can beat whomever they have to play in a must-win circumstance. That's what makes these next two weeks so important."
Covington's Roger Craft knows the feeling all too well. As one of the area's highest profiled teams coming into the current season, the Buccs are suddenly struggling against some of the area's best competition...in situations where there's much on the line.
"It would be fair to say that we're probably trying too hard right now...probably trying not to lose, instead of just executing the way we played over the first half," said Craft after Covington's loss on Friday. "With the prospect of the league title out of the way, I expect us to regroup this week and come back strong. We've still got two very tough games ahead that can get us back on track for the Piqua sectional. After all, we are a senior team and these kids still have an awful lot left to prove...and to play for."
Without saying so, both Mack and Craft are pointing to this weekend's matchup of their respective teams in Covington on Saturday night. There'll be a lot at stake with tournament seedings over the outcome of this one...but the Buccs better not overlook another tough foe come Friday night.
"We can't look past Tri County North because they have the potential to come in here and make it tough," said Craft. "It would be easy to focus on East, but we're not in a position to do so...and I think our kids understand that. We've got to play two good games back-to-back and then we'll see what we really have. Again...we're a veteran club and capable of regrouping in short order!"
The county's other small-school powerhouse, Bethel, stands at 15-1 after their victory over Franklin Monroe on Friday and knows what's at state for the remainder of their schedule. Steve Fisher has last year's state championship in his pocket and understands the pitfalls that can stand in the way of repeating. Repeating?
"We're getting better...that's for sure," says Fisher, "but we have a ways to go, too. I think we can now score like we want, but we need to get closer to last year's execution on defense and rebounding." And could this team actually repeat?
"I can see signs that are encouraging," smiled Fisher, "and when you have a player like Matt Witt it makes it a lot easier to believe. A lot of people wonder if he can take us back to state...and with the way this team's come together over the past month, I'm encouraged. I've never seen a player who wants the ball or enjoys the challenge of winning more than Matt....ever!"
With both Bethel and Twin Valley South having perfect league records, the Cross County Conference title will ultimately go to the winner of their matchup on February 15th...that and the confidence that coaches covet entering the state tournament run. Rest assured, Allen Mack, Roger Craft and Steve Fisher know the score of what looms ahead for their teams. For the rest of us....go buy a ticket!
