 |
| Gene Studebaker scored a game-high 22 points, including the game winner. |
|
 |
| The Covington Youth Cheerleaders were as entertaining as the game. |
|
|
Untitled Page
|
Untitled Page
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
Team
|
CCC
|
ALL
|
|
Covington
|
10-2
|
13-7
|
|
Newton
|
10-2
|
15-5
|
|
Mississinawa Valley
|
9-3
|
11-9
|
|
Twin Valley South
|
8-4
|
13-7
|
|
Tri-Village
|
8-4
|
11-9
|
|
Arcanum
|
7-5
|
12-8
|
|
Ansonia
|
7-5
|
11-9
|
|
Franklin Monroe
|
5-7
|
9-10
|
|
Bethel
|
5-7
|
9-11
|
| Miami East |
4-8 |
5-15 |
|
Tri-County North
|
3-9
|
4-16
|
|
National Trail
|
1-11
|
1-19
|
|
Bradford
|
0-12
|
1-19
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
January 27, 2007 – COVINGTON
Roger Craft may have found the ideal nickname for his Covington Buccaneers, "The Cardiac Kids". That's because the Buccaneers have a way of raising the blood pressure of the Covington faithful by playing games that seem to go down to the wire just about every night.
After Friday's one-point victory over Franklin Monroe, the Buccs were taken to the limit again Saturday by Anna - only to come out on top 47-44.
"The kids continue to find ways to win," said a pleased Covington coach. "They've been through a lot and have stayed together. You can see the chemistry and confidence building in this team."
Numerous players stepped up and made big plays throughout the course of the game, but none was bigger than the game-saving play Drew Craft made with 6.1 seconds left in the contest.
Leading 46-44 with 21 seconds to go, Covington had three fouls to give. The Buccs used two fouls with Anna ready to put the ball in play.
Still with one foul to give before putting Anna into the bonus, Craft made his move to steal the inbounds pass. The senior timed it perfectly, slapping the ball into the back court and chasing it down to give the Buccs possession.
"The play before that, Muehlfeld told the kid just to throw it high and he'd go get it," Drew Craft described. "I knew he was their scorer and they'd try to get the ball into his hands, so I kept my eye on where he was going. I just tried to get a hand on it and tip it away, but fortunately I was able to keep it in play and get the ball."
After gaining possession, Craft was fouled with 1.9 left and converted one of two free throws to seal the game.
Still, the senior didn't want to take credit for the Buccaneer victory.
"We did it as a team," Drew continued. "Everyone made plays. I just happen to make the last one."
Two more seniors said the same thing in regards to it being a team victory.
"We're winning because we are playing as a team," said Gene Studebaker, who scored a game-high 22 points. "We have the confidence we can win close games because we trust each other."
"It was a team effort," smiled Seth Mohler. "If it wasn't me, it was Drews. If it wasn't Drew, it was Gene. Everybody made plays tonight."
The fact no individual player wanted to take credit for the win makes the Covington coach proud.
"That says something about our kids," said Roger Craft in regards to his player's comments. "I'm proud of the way they've stuck together through good times and bad and I think they are better for it."
Anna made things difficult for Covington the entire evening with their athleticism and quickness.
The Rockets opened the contest by building a 12-8 lead after one, and increased the lead to 18-11 midway through the second period.
Covington battled back to outscore Anna 14-5 over the remainder of the half to take a 27-23 lead at the break.
After a Seth Mohler basket pushed the Buccaneer lead to 29-23 to start the second half, Anna went on a 12-0 run.
Ten of those points came from Mark Bensman on two treys and two lay-ups after steals.
"Basketball is a game of runs," mentioned Studebaker. "When the other team gets on a run, you have to keep your composure and continue to run the offense. We didn't get rattled because we have trust in the offense."
Studebaker got the Buccs going with a trey with 1:35 left in the third and Derek Brumbaugh closed out the period with a jumper to make the score 38-34 in favor of Anna.
The Rockets increased the lead to 40-34 on a lay-up by Greg Elsass to open the final period.
But the Buccaneers picked up the defensive intensity over the next 3:30 to hold the Rockets without a single point.
Meanwhile, Seth Mohler and Jordy Burelison each drilled treys to tie the score at 40-40 with 3:57 left in the game.
"I missed a couple (three-pointers) earlier in the game, so I was reluctant to take that shot," said Mohler. "But I was open so I took it. Luckily it went in."
After and Anna basket gave the Rockets a two-point lead, Studebaker tied the score again on a lay-up.
Derek Brumbaugh followed with two straight free throws to give the Buccs a 44-42 lead with 1:38 left in the game.
Anna worked the ball inside on its next possession as Greg Elsass was sent to the line on Brumbaugh's fourth foul of the contest. He converted both free throw attempts to tie the score once again with 49.8 left on the clock.
The Buccaneers set up the offense to work on the clock, but Studebaker found the shot he was looking for and banked in a 10-footer to put Covington up 46-44 with 21 seconds left in the game.
"We spread the floor and had a spot we wanted to get the ball too," Coach Craft described. "Gene got to that spot and the kids got him the ball. If they (Anna) doubled, Gene was going to dish it. They didn't, so Gene took the shot."
"I didn't really think about it (the shot)," Studebaker said. "We were just executing the offense. The coaches put me in that position and I was able to get an open look. I took what was there."
With a two-point lead and fouls to give, Covington wasn't going to give Anna an open look to steal the game.
The Buccs fouled three times to set up Drew Craft's heroics in the final seconds of the game.
"We knew we had fouls to give, so we wanted to play hard, aggressive defense on that last possession," explained Coach Craft. "Drew made a nice play on the ball and chased it down to give us possession and seal the game."
With four straight victories, the Buccaneers' confidence is at an all-time high.
"The past two weekend have been huge for us," said Seth Mohler. "It gives us a lot of confidence heading down the stretch."
Still, the Buccaneers know they have more work to do before the tournament.
"We have things to work on," concluded Roger Craft. "We're playing better and growing in confidence, but we haven't peaked yet."
The Buccaneers had two players score in double figures with Studebaker racking up 22 points and Seth Mohler dropping in 13.
The Buccs held a 25-21 edge on the boards, but committed 16 turnovers to 13 for Anna.
Covington connected on 18 of 36 field goals, 4 of 9 from behind the arc and 7-13 from the free throw line.
The victory improves Covington's record to 9-7 on the season as it hosts rival Bradford on Tuesday.
Scoring by Quarters:
Anna ..........................12.........23.......38.......44
Covington .....................8.........27.......34.......47
Covington Scoring:
Studebaker - 22
Mohler - 13
Brumbaugh - 6
Burelison - 4
Craft - 2
Anna Scoring:
Bensman - 14
Muehlfeld - 9
Elsass - 9
Naseman - 7
Snyder - 3
Niekamo - 2
Three-Point Scoring:
Covington: Studebaker (2), Mohler (1), Burelison (1)
Anna: Bensman (2), Naseman (1)
