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| Ashley Johnson, stealing the ball, had a memorable night on defense. |
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Team
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CCC
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ALL
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Covington
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11-0
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17-3
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Arcanum
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10-1
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16-4
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Franklin Monroe
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9-2
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13-7
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Tri-Village
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7-4
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11-9
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Ansonia
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7-4
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9-11
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National Trail
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6-5
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9-11
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Mississinawa Valley
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6-5
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7-13
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Bethel
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4-7
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6-14
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Tri-County North
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3-8
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4-16
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Newton
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2-9
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5-15
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Bradford
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1-10
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1-19
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Twin Valley South
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0-11
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2-18
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January 26, 2006 - PITSBURG
It's no secret that Covington Lady Buccs' basketball coach, Chris Besecker loves defense. Although he has had some great offensive performers over the years, his program has built its reputation around team defense.
So, after Covington put together perhaps its best defensive performance of the season Thursday night in a 45-29 win over Franklin Monroe, it was no surprise the word "Defense" was the first word to come out of Besecker's mouth.
"Defense was the key," said Besecker. "That was the difference in the game."
Covington's defensive effort was stellar throughout, but the first half performance was a good as it gets. The Lady Buccs held a high-powered Franklin Monroe squad to just three first half field goals and a total of 7 points in the opening 16:00 of play.
"That (the first half) was our best half defensively this year," said Besecker. "The girls really put pressure on them and prevented them from getting any open looks other than the two baskets they made at the beginning of the game."
One of the key reasons for the Lady Buccs' defensive success was the outstanding play of junior Ashley Johnson.
"Ashley really stepped up tonight," Besecker said. "She has made tremendous strides this year defensively and it's because of her attitude and effort. That's the one constant you look for as a coach. A kid may struggle offensively, but they can always contribute defensively and Ashley has done that for us all year."
Johnson agreed.
"I think I've improved defensively," said Johnson. "It's made up for my offense because I'm not hitting my shots, but I was able to help my team on the defensive end."
Franklin Monroe opened the contest with a basket by Courtney Oswalt, but Covington's Alex Christian immediately tied the score with a lay-up.
Moments later, Abbey Davenport launched a long trey to give the Lady Jets a 5-2 lead, but that would be the final points Franklin Monroe would get throughout the rest of the stanza.
Covington scored 14 straight points on two treys by Andrea Meyer, a basket by Alex Christian and three buckets by Michelle Meyer to take a 16-5 lead.
The Lady Jets opened the second stanza with their final points of the half on a basket by Maria Howell.
Covington then responded with a lay-up by Chelsea Tebbe, but couldn't score again for nearly 4:00 as the score remained 18-7 until 3:00 left in the half.
That's when Andrea Meyer broke the ice with her third trey of the half and the Michelle Meyer scored two straight baskets to increase Covington's lead to 25-7 at the break.
"We knew Abbey Davenport was a dangerous shooter, so we put Michelle (Meyer) on her," described Besecker. "We felt that was a good match-up for us because of Michelle's range and quickness."
Containing Franklin Monroe's leading scorer was a challenge Meyer was up too, although she knew it wouldn't be easy.
"She (Davenport) is a great player," complemented Meyer. "She can shoot the NBA three so I did what I could to stay with her and not let her get her shot off. You can't shut her down completely. You just have to do your best to keep her from getting open looks and hope she's not hitting her shots."
Franklin Monroe found some success in the third period as it managed 14 points in the stanza on a pair of baskets by Davenport, a bucket each by Maria Howell and Kelsey Wiseman and six combined free throws by Jacie Peters and Maria Howell.
Covington maintained its advantage, however, with a fourth trey and a jumper by Andrea Meyer, baskets by Alex Christian and LauriKate Baymen and a free throw by Chelsea Tebbe.
"Andrea (Meyer) shot the ball well, especially in the first half" said Besecker. "With long range shooters you hope they are hitting early because it gets more difficult later in the game when your legs are tired. Fortunately, Andrea was on in the first half."
The Lady Buccs picked up the defensive effort again in the fourth as they held Franklin Monroe without a field goal until the final minute. Six of Franklin Monroe's eight points in the fourth came at the free throw line.
Michelle Meyer matched the Lady Jets point-for-point in the final period with eight points of her own. Chelsea Tebbe also scored on a put-back to give Covington an impressive 45-29 win.
Covington had two players score in double figures with Michelle Meyer leading the way with a game-high 18 points. Andrea Meyer knocked down 14 points, 12 of those coming on four treys.
Franklin Monroe was led by Abbey Davenport with 11 points, six of those coming on two three pointers.
With the win Covington gains a strong hold on the race for the Cross County Conference championship as it remains the only unbeaten team in conference play at 8-0. The Lady Buccs also improve to 13-2 overall.
"This is a big win," concluded Besecker. "Winning on the road, especially in this place (Franklin Monroe), it's a great win."
The win was also Covington's ninth straight, showing they are peaking at the right time.
"I think we are getting better each night as a team," said Johnson. "We're seeing each other on the floor and moving the ball up the floor better. Everyone is stepping up their game."
Especially Johnson, who on this night stole the show defensively, despite not scoring a single point.
"Ashley was awesome," said Michelle Meyer. "She got into the passing lanes and got some turnovers, which put some easy points on the board. She was flying around for loose balls all night. Everyone played great defense tonight. This was without a doubt one of our best games defensively this year."
Which is what Lady Bucc basketball has built its reputation on.
Scoring by Quarters:
Covington ...................16........25.......35........45
Franklin Monroe ..........5..........7........21........29
Covington Scoring:
Michelle Meyer - 18
Andrea Meyer - 14
Alex Christian - 6
Chelsea Tebbe - 5
LauriKate Baymen - 2
Franklin Monroe Scoring:
Abbey Davenport - 11
Courtney Oswalt - 8
Maria Howell - 4
Kelsey Wiseman - 2
Jacie Peters - 2
Three-point Scoring:
Covington: Andrea Meyer (4)
Franklin Monroe: Abbey Davenport (2)
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