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| Richard Canan scored 12 points to help lead the Buccs to a win. |
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Team
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CCC
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ALL
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Covington
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10-1
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16-4
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Bethel
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10-1
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15-5
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Tri-Village
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9-2
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13-7
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Twin Valley South
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8-3
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15-5
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Arcanum
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8-3
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15-5
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Newton
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5-6
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7-13
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Ansonia
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5-6
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8-12
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Franklin Monroe
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4-7
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5-15
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Mississinawa Valley
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3-8
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6-14
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Tri-County North
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3-8
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6-14
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National Trail
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1-10
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1-19
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Bradford
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0-11
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1-19
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February 4, 2006 – COVINGTON
Darin Rhoades reached a 1,000th career point milestone Saturday night, joining six others in Covington history to accomplish such a feat.
The shot Darin canned to reach his historic total was in grand Rhoades fashion as it came on a three-pointer midway through the third period in the Buccs' 64-37 victory over Miami East. Immediately a timeout was called in order to present the game ball to Rhoades in front of the Covington faithful.
"That (scoring 1,000 points in a career) is something very special," said Covington coach Roger Craft. "It's not only special for Darin, but for the kids who he's played with over the past four years. It takes great teammates to make something like that possible."
Rhoades was awe struck by his accomplishment and to be mentioned in the same breath as those who came before him; Tom Dunn, Ed Hartley, Jay Meyer, Mike Schmidt, Lane Evans and most recently, Jason Meyer.
"It's such a great honor to join those guys." said Rhoades. "There's really no words I can say to describe how honored I am to be mentioned in the same class as them. I really don't know what to say."
As much as Rhoades was blown away by the accomplishment, he was even more amazed by the standing ovation he received from the home fans and the visitors.
"I really appreciate our fans for the support," said Rhoades. "I also appreciate the Miami East fans for their applause. It means a lot to me that this came in this gym because this is where I've played the most basketball."
Coming into the contest, Rhoades knew he was getting close to 1,000, but he wasn't sure how many points he needed. Knowing he was close was enough to make him nervous prior to game time.
"My Grandfather told me I was getting close and that I had a shot at getting it (1,000) tonight," described Rhoades. "I was nervous before the game, but once the game started I got into the flow of things and everything seemed normal."
After a sluggish first few minutes, it didn't take long for the rest of the Buccaneers to get into the flow as well.
Trailing 6-5 after a lay-up by East's Brandon Sizemore, Covington went on an 14-2 run sparked by a two treys by Rhoades. The second trey came at the buzzer to give Covington a 20-8 lead after one period of play.
Miami East hung with the Buccs throughout the second period and actually played even with Covington to make the score 35-23 at the half.
Needing eleven points for 1,000, Rhoades scored eight in the first 16:00, so the Covington supporters had to wait until the second half to witness history.
After Each team took turns scoring five baskets, Rhoades canned a short jumper to close within one point of 1,000. On Covington next possession, Rhoades spotted up from behind the arc on the home side of the floor and launched the trey to push him over 1,000 and send the Covington crowd into a frenzy.
Once Rhoades was presented the game ball and action presumed, Derek Brumbaugh scored on a 10-footer and East responded with a basket by Joe Taylor.
Rhoades then put the icing on the cake by closing out the third with a circus three-pointer at the buzzer to give Covington a 50-31 lead.
With the game well in hand, Covington pulled out the starting lineup midway through the fourth and cruised to a 64-37 win.
"We were disappointed after last night against Bethel, but we knew we had to put that one behind us and move on," said Craft. "The kids picked it up a notch tonight and did what they had to do."
Covington had three players in double figures with Darin Rhoades leading all scorers with a game-high 16 points. Richard Canan dropped in 14 points, while Gene Studebaker scored 10. Dusty Kimmel fell just short of scoring in double digits as he contributed with nine points.
"Anytime you have four or five guys scoring close to double figures, it makes you tough to defend," said Craft. "Balanced scoring is what we are looking for."
Covington controlled the boards by pulling down 28 rebounds to Miami East's 18. The Buccs also did an outstanding job of taking care of the ball and forcing turnovers as they forced 16 Viking miscues and committed just 8 themselves.
With the win, Covington improves to 14-3 on the season and has two more home games against Twin Valley South and Tri-County North before finishing the regular season on the road against Tipp City.
Scoring by Quarters:
Covington ...........20......35.......50.......65
Miami East ............8......23.......31.......37
Covington Scoring:
Darin Rhoades - 16
Richard Canan - 12
Gene Studebaker - 10
Dusty Kimmel - 9
Corey Sprankle - 4
Derek Brumbaugh - 4
Corey Patty - 3
Miami East Scoring:
Michael Pitts - 12
Brandon Sizemore - 12
Craig Shirk - 9
Michael Reck - 2
Joe Taylor - 2
Three-Point Scoring:
Covington: Darin Rhoades (4), Richard Canan (2), Corey Patty (1)
Miami East: Craig Shirk (1)
