Jason Meyer continues to prove why he is perhaps the best pure shooter in the area with a 26-point effort against Versailles.

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

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January 12, 2002 – COVINGTON
On Hall of Fame night, the Buccs seemed to welcome an old nemisis back for the first half of Saturday night's game against the Versailles Tigers. Sloppy defense and rebounding seemed right at home for a while before order was restored in the Buccs' 68-56 win over the 9-1 Tigers.

Sophomore Kyle Gehl blistered the Buccs' defense on 5 for 12 three-point shooting on the way to a 26 point night, with three of his long-range bombs coming in the opening minutes of the game. But like so many occasions this seasons, the Buccs withstood the storm to trail 15-14 after the first period....and were within a field goal at 34-32 at the half.

"We did not play good perimeter defense in the first half....and they made us pay for it," said assistant coach Karl Ratterman. "This was not the same team we had seen on tape and our commitment to defend better in the second half was the turning point of the game."

Frankly, the Buccs could have led at the half if a few more shots had fallen. Jason Meyer missed his first five attempts from the field and numerous attempts from Josh Burelison, Jarod Meyer and Bert Roeth rimmed out over the first twelve minutes. This is a Versailles team that will be reckoned with over the next two years...full of sophomores and juniors. They played physical basketball and banged the Buccs shooters around pretty good before they settled into an offensive consistency. Jason Meyer and Josh Burelison led the Buccs' first-half scoring with 16 and 6 points respectively but the issue was far from settled as the two teams left for intermission.

The Buccs found themselves in the locker room and brought back the defensive intensity they displayed earlier in the year when they came from behind against Dayton Christian and Anna. Bert Roeth rang in a long three at the 6:52 point of the third period to put the Buccs ahead 37-34 and Burelison added another deep bomb at the 2 minute mark to extend the lead to six. Jason Meyer frustrated the Tigers with points from the paint and Jarod Meyer came alive to hit a clutch foul-line jumper at the buzzer to extend the lead to 8 at the end of three.

In the meantime, the Buccs used some physicality of their own in holding the Tigers to just nine points in the third period. Playing mainly man defense, the Buccs suddenly looked like a veteran group in shutting down Versailles' outside shooting, while Derick Brumbaugh, Mike Molesky and Jason Meyer established dominance on the defensive boards. On the offensive end, Jarod Meyer continued to keep the Tigers at bay with clutch shooting and ball control, helping maintain an eight point lead until the final minute when free throws extended the lead to the final margin of twelve.

To be sure, it was a hall-of-fame performance for the biggest crowd of the year. Jason Meyer led the Buccs in scoring with 26 points, while Jarod Meyer chipped in eleven second-half points to finish with 15 on the night. Roeth added 13...but the 11 points and some clutch shooting by Josh Burelison may, in retrospect, have been the most welcome contribution of all. J.B. looked comfortable with his shot and seemed to gain confidence as the game progressed. Buccs faithful are no doubt hopeful that this is a good omen for the remaining six games on the regular schedule.

Sophomore Kyle Gehl led the Tigers in scoring with 26...while senior forward Michael Paulus added 16. The Buccs have a week off now to prepare for the titanic matchup with Bethel next Friday night. The Bees come to town with a 10-1 mark and the Division IV player of the year, Matt Witt...who entered Saturday night's game against Oakwood needing just ten points to reach the 2,000 point mark in his career. Wouldn't be a bad idea to come early if you'd like to see this one.

Buccs Scoring:
Jason Meyer – 28
Jarod Meyer – 15
Bert Roeth – 13
Josh Burelison – 11
Clint Mohler – 1

Buccs shot 44% from the field on 24 for 54 attempts

Buccs outrebounded Verailles 45-30

Versailles Scoring:
Gehle – 26
Paulus – 16
Shappie – 8
Stammen – 2
Stauffer – 2
Shardo – 2