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| Drew Craft connects on a jumper for the Buccs against Marion Local. |
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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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December 30, 2006 – MARIA STEIN
The offensive struggles for the Covington Buccaneers continued Saturday as they scored a season-low 27 points in a 50-27 loss at the hands of Marion Local.
The defeat is the Buccaneers' fifth in their last six outings after starting the season with three straight wins.
"We're just going through a phase where we're struggling shooting the ball right now," said Buccaneer coach Roger Craft. "Our effort is there and the kids are playing hard. The shots are just not falling."
The Buccaneers had a hard time buying a basket as they only connected on six two-point field goals for the night.
Covington shot for 26%t, connecting on 9 of 34 from the field. The Buccaneers also struggled from behind the arc, converting just 3 of 15 attempts for 20%.
Free throw shooting was also an issue for the Buccaneers as they made 6 of 12 attempts for 50%.
"We're not taking bad shots," Craft explained. "Sometimes we could make an extra pass, but overall we're taking good shots. Obviously we're not making enough."
Covington started the game by jumping out to a 5-2 lead on a short jumper by Derek Brumbaugh and a trey by Gene Studebaker.
Marion Local responded with two straight baskets to take a 6-5 lead before a second Studebaker trey gave the Buccaneers their final lead of the contest.
The Flyers closed out the first with two more buckets to take a 10-8 lead after one quarter of play.
The Buccaneers went ice cold in the second period as they could manage just one Studebaker jumper in a 6:00 time period.
Marion Local opened its lead to 19-10 as Chris Stucke scored seven straight points in the run, including a trey.
After a Buccaneer timeout, Corey Patty broke the ice with a short jumper and Gene Studebaker closed out the first half by beating the buzzer with a his third three-pointer of the half.
Studebaker accounted for 11 of Covington's 15 first half points.
Despite the Buccs' offensive struggles, they only trailed by four, 19-15 at the break.
"Defensively, we're playing pretty solid," Craft said. "That's why we were still in the game at the half."
Covington's shooting woes continued in the second half as it could only manage one field goal and a total of four points in the third quarter.
Marion Local took advantage by breaking the game open with 15 points in the stanza.
"We can't allow teams to outscore us by that much in one quarter," said Craft.
Covington continued to struggle the rest of the way, while Marion Local capped an impressive win with 21 more points in the final 8:00 for the 50-27 win.
Dropping to 4-5 on the season, Craft still has high hopes for his Buccaneers.
"Obviously we're struggling right now," said Craft. "But these kids work hard and they know what they have to do to turn it around. The seniors have to step up and perform."
Covington has nearly a week to regroup before a critical Cross County Conference match-up with Tri-Village on Friday.
"It doesn't get easier and we wouldn't want it any other way," Craft continued. "We try to put together a schedule that will prepare us for the tournament. We have a tough weekend next week with Tri-Village and West Milton and we'll come ready to play."
Despite its recent skid, the Buccaneers are still in the hunt in the Cross County Conference with a 3-1 record.
Scoring by Quarters:
Covington ..............8..........15.........19......27
Marion Local ........10.........19........34.......50
Covington Scoring:
Studebaker - 11
Patty - 7
Mohler - 5
Craft - 2
Brumbaugh - 2
Marion Local Scoring:
Stucke - 17
Winner - 13
Hartings - 6
Homan - 5
Schwieterman - 4
Moeller - 2
Bertke - 2
Obringer - 1
Three-Point Scoring:
Covington: Gene Studebaker (3)
Marion Local: Chris Stucke (1)
