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| Derek Brumbaugh goes up for two of his 15 points in the Buccs' 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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10-2
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13-7
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Newton
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10-2
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15-5
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Mississinawa Valley
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9-3
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11-9
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Twin Valley South
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8-4
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13-7
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Tri-Village
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8-4
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11-9
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Arcanum
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7-5
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12-8
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Ansonia
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7-5
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11-9
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Franklin Monroe
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5-7
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9-10
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Bethel
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5-7
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9-11
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| Miami East |
4-8 |
5-15 |
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Tri-County North
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3-9
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4-16
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National Trail
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1-11
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1-19
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Bradford
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0-12
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1-19
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February 24, 2007 – PIQUA
Things couldn't have been any worse for the Covington Buccaneers in the first half of their sectional opener against a gritty Jackson Center team, Saturday.
Fortunately, a stellar defensive effort by Covington in the second half got the Buccs rolling as they cruised to a 52-38 win.
"It was a great team effort in the second half," said Covington coach Roger Craft. "Defense is what wins ball games, especially in the tournament. We showed heart and guts tonight."
The Buccs struggled finding a groove offensively in the first half, only shooting 18 percent in the first and 26 percent in the second.
Plus, Seth Mohler found himself in foul trouble with three fouls next to his name on the scoreboard.
To top it off, Jackson Center's Mark Gloyeske nearly matched the entire Covington team's offensive output over the first 16:00 with 13 points to the Buccs' 17.
The result was a nine-point deficit for a frustrated Buccaneer team as they headed to the locker room trailing, 26-17.
"We struggled making shots in the first half," said Covington coach Roger Craft. "It's not like we weren't playing hard. We just weren't finishing shots and they (Jackson Center) were controlling the boards.
"I told the kids at the half that we needed to continue to play hard and things would work out. We were getting good looks and I knew we'd start getting some of those shots to fall."
Covington's offensive struggles continued in the first 4:00, but it was still able to cut the Jackson Center lead to 28-22 on a Seth Mohler three-point play and a short jumper by Derek Brumbaugh.
However, Mohler picked up his fourth foul at the 4:00 mark and found himself a spectator from the bench.
As Covington had done over its previous eight-game winning streak, different players stepped up to the challenge and carried the Buccs to victory.
Gene Studebaker started a 16-2 Covington run with a three-pointer, while Derek Brumbaugh followed with seven straight points.
After a Jordy Burelison jumper, Studebaker converted back-to-back steals into lay-ups to put Covington up 38-30 with just 2:00 gone in the final frame.
"Gene and Derek stepped it up," Craft said. "We thought we had a match-up in our favor with Brumbaugh and he made some plays."
After a Tyler Brown basket and two free throws cut the Buccaneer lead to 38-34, Jordy Burelison drilled a trey and Brumbaugh followed with a stick back.
The Tigers managed just one more basket the rest of the way, while Covington closed out the scoring on a 9-0 run on another Brumbaugh bucket, four free throws by Studebaker and a Kyle Simon trey.
"We were able to get out and run a little more in the second half," said Craft. "That's because we rebounded better and forced some turnovers on the defensive end. It all started with our defense."
The Buccaneer defense not only got Covington started, it closed the show.
The Buccs held the Tigers to just three field goals and 10 points in the second half. Mark Gloyeske was held to just two second half points after scoring 13 in the first half.
"We put Drew (Craft) on him (Gloyeske) in the second half," Craft described. "Drew played heads-up, smart defense and held him in check."
The Buccaneers were led in scoring by Studebaker and Brumbaugh, who each scored 15 points on the evening. The duo also combined for 24 second half points.
Covington connected on 19 of 54 field goal attempts, 4 of 11 from behind the arc and 10-11 from the charity stripe.
The Buccaneers held the edge on the boards, 31-25 and a 15-9 advantage on the offensive glass.
Covington only committed 8 turnovers to 11 for Jackson Center.
The victory improves Covington's record to 14-7 on the season and advances them to the second round against Botkins on Wednesday.
Scoring by Quarters:
Covington ............8......17......29.....52
Jackson Center ....11.....26......30.....36
Covington Scoring:
Gene Studebaker - 15
Derek Brumbaugh - 15
Jordy Burelison - 8
Seth Mohler - 7
Corey Patty - 4
Kyle Simon - 3
Jackson Center Scoring:
Mark Gloyeske - 15
Lebarron Fuller - 7
Seth Belton - 6
Trent Mann - 4
Tyler Brown - 4
Three-Point Scoring:
Covington: Jordy Burelison (2), Kyle Simon (1), Gene Studebaker (1)
Jackson Center: Seth Belton (2)
