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| Corey Patty goes up for two points in the Buccs' loss to Newton. |
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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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January 12, 2007 – PLEASANT HILL
The Newton Indians used a 20-3 run in the second and third quarters to squeak by rival Covington 43-40 in front of a homecoming crowd Friday at Newton High School.
The victory was sweet for the Indians as they improve to 8-3 overall and remain in contention for a Cross County Conference title with a 5-1 record.
"It means a lot to our kids to beat Covington," said Newton coach Neal Hans. "They have a strong tradition over there and a win like this is always big."
For Covington, the 20-3 run by the Indians was significant - but free throw shooting was even more significant as the Buccs drop to 5-7 overall and 4-2 in the CCC.
Newton connected on 12 of 23 free throw attempts, while the Buccs went to the line just four times on the evening - making just one.
"You won't win many games shooting four free throws," said Covington coach Roger Craft. "They were in the bonus in the first quarter and in the double bonus early in the second quarter. We didn't go to the free throw line until late in the third quarter. The kids have to adjust to how the game is being called."
Covington, known for its physical style of play, picked up 24 fouls on the night compared to 12 for the Indians.
"We knew coming in that Covington was physical," said Hans. "I told the kids before the game that they (Covington) would be bigger and stronger and that we had to use our quickness. The kids did a good job of that until late in the game."
Late in the game is when Covington made its move after Newton's 20-3 run made the score 33-19 midway through the third period.
Covington then went on a 8-0 run on baskets by Derek Brumbaugh and Corey Patty, a trey by Gene Studebaker and a free throw by Drew Craft.
Kyler Booher ended the run and the period with a jumper to make the score 35-27 with 8:00 left to play.
"We had problems with their pressure because we were not attacking it," Craft described. "Once we started attacking the pressure in the second half, we started making some plays."
Covington started the fourth quarter with a lay-up by Gene Studebaker after the senior stole the ball from an Indian ball handler at mid-court.
The Indians responded with five straight points on a jumper by Kale Booher, a lay-up by Craig Walters and a free throw by Kyler Booher.
Trailing once again by double digits, 40-29, the Buccs put together another run.
Studebaker started things off by converting a steal into another lay-up, while Seth Mohler followed with a short jumper.
Derek Brumbaugh and Mohler each scored lay-ups on back-to-back possessions to bring the Buccs within 40-37 with under 1:30 to go.
After a Kale Booher basket, Studebaker cut the margin to two points with a trey, 42-40 with just 30 seconds to play.
"Studebaker is cut from the same mold as Kyler Booher," Hans praised. "He forced us into a lot of turnovers in the fourth quarter that allowed them to get back into the game. He's big and so athletic. What a nice player he is."
It would be the final points of the night for Covington as Newton converted 1 of 4 free throw attempts to take the 43-40 win.
"We did a nice job of building a lead on them in the second and third quarters," Hans described. "But I'm disappointed we let the lead slip away. Fortunately we were able to make some plays in the end."
For Roger Craft and the Buccs, it was a case of missed opportunities even with a comeback from a 14-point deficit.
"We had our chances down the stretch and didn't convert," Craft described. "We had a couple of missed lay-ups that could have tied the score or gave us a lead. Things like that hurt in a close game like this.
Kyler Booher led all players with a game-high 17 points, 10 rebounds and 7 steals. Jason Powell contributed with 10 points.
The Buccaneers were led by Gene Studebaker with 14 points and Seth Mohler with 12.
Both teams were even on the boards with 17, but it was turnovers that displeased both coaches. Covington committed 19 turnovers to 16 for Newton.
"We stress limiting turnovers," said Hans. "We rarely have 10 and we've had games where we only had four or five. We'll address that in practice."
Craft was equally disappointed in the turnovers.
"We can't turn the ball over that much and expect to win," Craft said. "We had way too many turnovers tonight and that's because we didn't attack their pressure."
The Buccs have a week to regroup before hosting Mississinawa Valley next Friday, while Newton takes on Bethel.
Scoring by Quarters:
Covington .........10.......19........27.......40
Newton ...............6........24........35.......43
Covington Scoring:
Gene Studebaker - 14
Seth Mohler - 12
Drew Craft - 5
Derek Brumbaugh - 4
Jordy Burelison - 3
Corey Patty - 2
Newton Scoring:
Kyler Booher - 17
Jason Powell - 10
Craig Walters - 9
Kale Booher - 5
T.J. Lavy - 2
Three-Point Scoring:
Covington: Gene Studebaker (2), Jordy Burelison (1)
Newton: Jason Powell (2), Craig Walters (1)
