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Tyler Moore drives for 2 of his 7 points for the Buccs.
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Team
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CCC
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ALL
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*Twin Valley South
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9-2
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17-3
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*Franklin Monroe
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9-2
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16-4
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*National Trail
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9-2
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15-5
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*Tri-Village
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9-2
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14-6
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Ansonia
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7-4
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10-10
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Tri-County North
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6-5
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12-8
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Mississinawa Valley
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4-7
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8-12
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Arcanum
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4-7
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7-13
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Newton
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4-7
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5-15
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Covington
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3-7
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3-17
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Bethel
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2-9
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3-17
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Bradford
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0-11
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0-20
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January 10, 2003 – COVINGTON
The Covington Buccaneers were handed their eighth straight defeat at the hands of National Trail, but they didn't go down without a fight.
Normally, a team with a seven game losing streak coming into a conference battle against an opponent perched near the top of the standings would play as if they had packed it in. That's not the Buccs' style and that's not the attitude of the players and coaches. They played like a team that had everything on the line and gave National Trail everything they could handle before Trail pulled away in the last 2:30 of the game to take a 54-43 victory.
"We took a big step forward tonight," said Covington coach Roger Craft. "We played hard and fought all of the way to the end. We cut down on our turnovers and continue to play solid defense. These kids are giving everything they have and that's all you can ask."
The Buccs were in position to pull off an upset as they trailed 45-41 with 2:30 left in the game and had possession of the ball. Unfortunately for the Buccs, Dallas Burelison was called for a double-dribble and the ball went back to the Blazers. National Trail then called a timeout to set up their offense for the final minutes.
Once the ball was put into play, National Trail decided to spread the floor and force the Buccs to foul to stop the clock and rely on missed free throws. The strategy worked as the Blazers converted on most of their free throws over the final 2:00 and made the score appear worse than it was.
"We were in the game the entire way and had our chances until the end," continued coach Craft. "We were down by 4 points late in the fourth period, but unfortunately we just couldn't get over the hump. We had some breakdowns at the end, but that doesn't take away from the effort the kids gave throughout the game. I'm proud of the way the kids played and we can build on this."
Matt McCord had another solid night for the Buccs as he knocked down a game-high 15 points. Ross Mohler and Tyler Moore contributed with 7 points each, but it was Ross Mohler's defense that received praise from the coach.
"Ross had a heck of a night," complemented coach Craft. "Defensively he was outstanding. He held McWhinney to 9 points, which is tough to do. Ross forced him into some tough shots and forced some turnovers."
Covington drops to 2-9 on the season and travels to Versailles Saturday night.
Covington Scoring Breakdown:
Matt McCord – 15
Ross Mohler – 7
Tyler Moore – 7
Dusty Rhoades – 5
Dallas Burelison – 5
Matt Maier – 3
T.J. Warner – 1
National Trail Scoring:
Beck – 15
D. Arnett – 13
Arnett – 6
McWinney – 9
Blevins – 8
Unger – 3
Scoring by Quarters:
Covington.........13.....22.....33.....43
National Trail.....15.....29.....39.....54
Reserves: Covington 54, N. Trail 37
