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| Derek Brumbaugh recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. |
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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 16, 2006 – COVINGTON
Covington coach Roger Craft hit the nail on the head when he summed up the Buccaneers' 72-43 defeat at the hands of Tipp City.
"Tonight was no indication of the type of team we are because Tipp City is very, very good," said Craft. "You won't find many teams like that. They didn't go to the Regional Finals in Division II for nothing."
Former Buccaneer player and current Tipp City coach Matt Pond echoed Craft's assessment.
"Covington is a good basketball team," said Pond. "The game was much tougher than the score indicated. Roger has his kids playing physical and with a lot of effort."
Regardless, it was painfully obvious to the Buccaneer faithful that Tipp City is at another level - a level Covington strives to achieve.
"This was a good game for us because we saw first hand the level we want to get to," said Craft. "It's good because we are early in the season and still haven't found our identity. A game like this against an opponent the caliber of Tipp can help us find our identity."
Tipp City has its identity. A balanced team with multiple offensive weapons and a team who brings intense defensive pressure from the opening tip to the final buzzer.
The highly touted Red Devils torched the nest by connecting on 29 of 52 attempts from the field and five of 15 from behind the arc.
Tipp received a game-high 31 points from Kellen Zawadski, who connected on 16 of 19 attempts from the floor.
"Zawadski was phenomenal," praised Craft. "It seemed like he couldn't miss."
Another key statistic that showed Tipp City's impressive performance were the 28 turnovers the forced by the Buccs.
"Our kids are capable of that (forcing turnovers) on any given night," Pond described.
The turnovers is something Craft wasn't pleased with.
"We have to do a much better job of taking care of the ball," explained Craft. "Granted, they are an outstanding defensive team, but we didn't handle the pressure very well."
The Red Devils took control of the contest from the opening minutes and built a 33-17 half time lead.
At one point in the first half, Tipp City ran off 12 straight points, capped by a monster slam dunk by Zawadski.
"I knew he could dunk, but not like that," said Pond. "That was a big play because we had a nice lead and it pumped the kids up even more."
The lead expanded to 52-27 by the end of the third period as Covington just couldn't stop the potent Tipp City offensive attack.
Showing character, the Buccaneers continued playing hard, which led to their most profitable quarter in the fourth. Covington scored 14 points in the period, but it wasn't enough as Tipp City took a 72-43 win.
"I'm proud of the way our kids kept giving maximum effort in tough circumstances," said Craft. "A lot of times when a team gets down like that they can take some cheap shots, but our kids showed class and just kept playing."
Pond agreed.
"This (Covington and Tipp City) is always a physical game," said Pond. "But it was a clean game. Both teams just played hard."
The loss drops Covington's overall record to 3-2 as it looks to rebound on Tuesday against Bethel in a critical Cross County Conference match-up.
"We'll be ready to play," Craft said. "We'll put this one behind us and move on. It (Bethel) will be a big game, so the kids will be pumped up and ready to move forward."
Even with a frustrating evening, the Buccaneers were able to hold a rebounding edge, 21-15.
"That's an indication of how hard we played," Craft concluded. "We have a veteran crew, although the majority of the guys are first-year varsity players. We just have to stay positive and keep improving and we'll be fine."
The victory keeps Tipp City unbeaten and right on course with achieving the high expectations they have for themselves.
But Pond is taking it one game at a time.
"All we worry about is one game at a time," Pond said. "Tonight was a big win. To come in this gym and play like we did was huge. This was our best effort so far this season."
For Covington, hopefully Tuesday will be a different story.
Scoring by Quarters:
Tipp City ........13......33......52......72
Covington .......6.......17......27......43
Covington Scoring:
Gene Studebaker - 15
Seth Mohler - 8
Corey Patty - 7
Derek Brumbaugh - 6
Andy Sparks - 5
Kyle Kanet - 2
Tipp City Scoring:
Kellen Zawadski - 31
Kyle Corbin - 18
Robert Wilson - 7
David Strawser - 10
Kyle Weber - 4
Andy Lammers - 2
Craig Bruns - 2
Robert Goldsberry - 1
Justin Moyer - 1
Three-point Scoring:
Covington: Gene Studebaker (1)
Tipp City: Kellen Zawadski (5)
