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January 22, 2008 – COVINGTON
The mood in the Covington locker room after a hard-fought 48-44 victory over Miami East was one Buccaneer coach Roger Craft has been wanting to experience for quite some time.
"The kids are really excited about this win," said Craft. "It's nice to see some smiles on their faces. They earned this one."
Coming off of 11 loses in the last 12 games, many in close contests, the Buccaneers finally were able to make the plays they needed down the stretch to capture a much-needed victory.
Trailing 36-25 after three quarters of play, the Buccaneers outscored Miami East 23-8 in the final frame to steal the victory.
"We've been in a lot of tight games, but were never able to make enough plays," Craft explained. "This time we made the plays we needed in the fourth quarter. This is a big, big win for us."
The biggest plays came with Covington holding a 40-38 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Jordy Meyer connected on a short jumper and went to the free throw line for a possible three-point play. The free throw attempt was off the mark, but Meyer hustled for the rebound and was fouled again on the stick back.
The sophomore then converted the free throw to cap a five-point possession that increased the Covington lead to 45-38.
"Jordy made some big plays tonight," Craft said. "He got some big rebounds for us and made some big shots."
Rebounding is where Covington managed to keep itself in the game as the Buccs held a 30-21 advantage on the boards.
"We had guys flying all over to get rebounds and loose balls," said Craft. "The kids never quit hustling and that probably kept us in the game."
Miami East received a huge night from Dan Hickman, who scored a game-high 23 points.
Hickman and the Vikings pushed an 18-15 lead after one to 28-21 at the half.
"Miami East is a really good basketball team and Coach Mack (Allen Mack) really does a good job preparing his kids," Craft praised. "Hickman is a very nice player, probably one of the best we've seen this year."
Covington couldn't buy a basket in the third period as it only converted on a single field goal and a pair of free throws.
But the Buccaneer defense prevented Miami East from blowing the game open as it held the Vikings to eight points in the frame and 16 points for the entire second half.
"We were the aggressor on defense, especially in the second half," said Craft. "We made some big stops and forced some turnovers that sort of turned the tide into our favor."
Meanwhile, Meyer and Ben Christian took over the scoring load for the Buccs down the stretch. Christian accounted for nine of Covington's 18 points off the bench.
"Ben came off the bench and gave us a spark," Craft stated.
Others had a significant impact as well.
"Every one of the kids made plays," Craft continued. "Jordy (Burelison) hit some big free throws. Kyle Kanet did a great job handling their pressure. I'm proud of all the kids."
The Buccs connected on 17 of 45 field goals for 38%, while Miami East was 15 of 49 for 31%.
Covington was 12 of 22 from the free throw line in the contest, but 9 of 18 came in the fourth quarter.
Miami East was 12 for 19 from the line for 63%.
The victory lifts Covington's record to 3-11 overall and 2-6 in the Cross County Conference, while Miami East drops to 10-4 overall and 6-1 in the CCC.
The Buccs travel to Bradford on Friday, while the Vikings look to rebound at Arcanum.
Scoring by Quarters:
Miami East ............18......28......36......44
Covington .............15......21......25......48
Covington Scoring:
Jordy Meyer - 13
Adam Craft - 10
Ben Christian - 9
Kody Thibeau - 5
Kyle Kanet - 4
Andy Sparks - 3
Jody Burelison - 2
Nate Lavey - 2
Miami East Scoring:
Hickman - 23
Carey - 11
Miller - 4
Beard - 2
Deal - 2
Vega - 1
Dunivan - 1
Three-Point Scoring:
Covington: Thibeau (1), Kanet (1)
Miami East: Hickman (2)
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