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| Darin Rhoades scored 20 points, including this highlight reel reverse lay-up. |
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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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January 13, 2006 – COVINGTON
The memory of last year's last second defeat at the hands of Newton was fresh in the minds of the Covington Buccaneers as they took the floor Friday in a key Cross County Conference match-up against those same Indians.
But, revenge wasn't the primary focus of the Buccaneers.
"We haven't forgotten about last year, but we didn't focus on that," said Covington coach Roger Craft. "This is a different season and all we were looking to do was play good basketball and win the game."
Covington did just that, jumping on Newton early and cruising to a 73-51 victory.
"They (Covington) are big, strong and athletic," said Newton coach Neal Hans after his team suffered only its second loss in Cross County Conference play. "We had problems matching up with them because of the size difference."
Covington put together perhaps its most impressive quarter of the season in the opening 8 minutes. The host Buccaneers torched the nets for 25 points and smothered the Indians on the defensive end. Newton managed just six points in the stanza, four coming from Kyler Booher.
"The first period was the difference in the game," said Hans. "We didn't come out with any intensity and they did."
The emotion and intensity the Buccs showed had an impression on their coach.
"We came out with some fire," said Craft. "The rivalry with Newton brings that out of your and I'm pleased with how the kids set the tone early."
It seemed like Covington couldn't do no wrong in the opening stanza as virtually every shot dropped through. On the rare occasion a shot didn't drop, Dusty Kimmel and company was there to get the put back.
"Kimmel was on a mission tonight," said Craft of his senior forward who finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds on the night. "He just played a heck of a game."
The Indians finally got some offense going in the second period as Kyler Booher dropped in six of Newton's 14 points in the period. But, Covington kept the pressure on by dropping in 16 point in the stanza to make the score 41-20 at the half.
"I'm proud of the way the kids continued to play hard under the circumstances," said Hans. "We fell behind early and played them fairly even throughout the rest of the game."
Covington opened the second half with a trey by Richard Canan and then connected on four more buckets before Darin Rhoades canned a trey to close out the period. Newton received baskets by Kyler Booher and Kale Booher, plus a trey by Jason Powell, but Covington increased its lead to 55-31 with one period to play.
With victory pretty much in its grasp, Covington substituted freely in the final 8 minutes. Still, the Buccs managed to score 18 points in the stanza and hold on for a 73-51 win.
"Our quickness was a big factor tonight," said Craft. "They (Newton) went to a zone to slow the game down, but our kids adjusted and executed."
Covington had four players score in double digits with Dusty Kimmel and Darin Rhoades leading all players with 20 points each. Richard Canan dropped in 13 points and Gene Studebaker contributed with 11 points. Kimmel also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double and Richard Canan recorded six assists.
"That's what we want," said Craft in regards to his team's balance. "We've had a number of players score in double digits several times this year and that means the kids are executing the offense. We are continuing to get better at making the extra pass to get open looks and the guys are knocking down shots."
The host Buccaneers held a significant advantage on the boards 33-11 and forced 17 Newton turnovers.
Kyler Booher led Newton with 19 points, while Brad Rasor and Nathan Hines each dropped in 9 points.
The Buccs improve to 9-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play, while Newton drops to 5-7 overall and 4-2 in the CCC.
Covington travels to Ansonia on Tuesday in a contest that was rescheduled due to the football playoffs.
Scoring by Quarters:
Covington .........25..........41........55.........73
Newton ................6..........20........31.........51
Covington Scoring:
Dusty Kimmel - 20
Darin Rhoades – 20
Richard Canan – 13
Gene Studebaker – 11
Corey Sprankle – 2
Seth Mohler – 2
Corey Patty – 2
Drew Craft – 1
Newton Scoring:
Kyler Booher – 19
Brad Rasor – 9
Nathan Hines – 9
Kale Booher – 6
Jason powell – 6
T.J. Lavy – 2
Three-Point Scoring:
Covington: Darin Rhoades (3), Richard Canan (3)
Newton: Jason Powell (2), Nathan Hines (1)
Reserve Score: Covington 45, Newton 31
