Nate Lavey drives to the basket.

2007-08 BASKETBALL LINKS MEET THE 07-08 BUCCANEERS MEET THE 07-08 LADY BUCCS MEET THE 07-08 CHEERLEADERS

2007-08 SCHEDULE 11/01/07 12/08/07 12/14/07 12/18/07 12/21/07 12/22/07 12/29/07 01/04/08 01/05/08 01/11/08 01/12/08 01/18/08 01/19/08 01/22/08 01/25/08 01/26/08 01/29/08 02/01/08 02/02/08 02/08/08 02/19/08 Versailles @ National Trail @ Bethel Ansonia @ Tri-Village Marion Local Russia Newton @ Milton Union @ Mississinawa @ New Bremen Franklin Monroe @ Anna Miami East @ Bradford @ Fairlawn Arcanum Twin Valley South Delphos St. John's @ Tri-County North SECTIONALS 34-30 44-52 61-68 43-57 40-46 26-54 36-59 52-60 53-62 62-54 30-49 41-44 41-73 48-44 70-36 49-43 34-55 55-57 38-61 52-54 33-46 2007-08 CCC STANDINGS Team CCC ALL Twin Valley South 10-1 15-3 Tri-Village 8-1 13-3 Arcanum 8-2 11-6 Franklin Monroe 8-2 10-7 Miami East 6-3 10-6 Bethel 5-4 7-7 Ansonia 5-4 8-8 Covington 3-9 5-15 National Trail 3-7 3-13 Newton 3-6 3-12 Mississinawa Valley 3-8 4-12 Tri-County North 2-8 5-12 Bradford 0-9 1-14

January 12, 2008 – NEW BREMEN
Heading into the second half the Covington Buccaneers were where they wanted to be in a non-conference showdown with New Bremen, Saturday.

In spite of giving up a significant height advantage to the host Cardinals, the Buccs trailed just 24-19 at the half by playing aggressive defense and protecting the basketball.

"We played pretty well in the first half," said Covington coach Roger Craft. "We didn't shoot particularly well, but our defense was solid. It kept us in the game."

Unfortunately for Covington, the Buccs could only manage four points in the third period and elevn second half points as New Bremen was able to run away with a 49-30 victory.

Covington only shot 17% from the floor in the contest on 8 of 47 attempts.

"The bottom line is we have to score points," Craft said. "You won't win many games when you shoot 17%."

Covington did have a solid night at the free throw line by knocking down 11 of 18 attempts. Another positive was how well the Buccs handled the ball, particularly considering New Bremen brought constant pressure.

The Buccs only committed 7 turnovers after having 21 on Friday against Mississinawa Valley.

"We did a good job of handling the pressure and staying patient with the offense, particularly in the first half," explained Craft. "We got the shots we wanted, but we just didn't knock them down."

Covington also had success on the boards considering New Bremen's height advantage. The Cardinals did hold a 30-21 advantage, but the Buccs had several possessions where they had two or three opportunities at the basket due the gathering rebounds on the offensive end.

"When you play a team that has the size they have, you have to stay discipline in boxing out and getting position," Craft described. "Overall we did a good job on the boards, but the difference is we didn't finish very well."

Due to Covington's cold shooting, the Cardinals were able to increase their five-point half time lead to 39-21 at the end of the third.

"It's not like they (New Bremen) shot well themselves," said Craft. "They only shot 36%, so we defended them very well."

But the offensive struggles continued to haunt Covington as it only managed 7 points in the fourth quarter, while New Bremen extended the margin by scoring 15 points.

"We got into a hurry offensively in the third quarter and had to play catch up," Craft said. "A lot of that is inexperience and the kids playing hard. We'll learn from this and continue to work to get better. That's the thing about these kids, they'll continue to work hard."

At 2-9 on the season Covington looks to rebound on Friday as Franklin Monroe comes to town.

Scoring by Quarters:
Covington .............8........19.......21......30
New Bremen ........9.........24......39......49

Covington Scoring:
Andy Sparks - 9
Kody Thiebeau - 7
Nate Lavey - 4
Kyle Kanet - 4
Jordy Burelison - 3
Bill Dickey - 2
Adam Craft - 1

New Bremen Scoring:
Schnelle - 14
Rohr - 7
Eilerman - 7
McCollum - 6
Timmerman - 5
Knapke - 5
Williams - 2
Bergman - 2
Bensman - 1

Three-Point Scoring:
Covington: Thiebeau (2), Burelison (1)
New Bremen: McCollum (2)