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| The seniors enjoy a photo moment in front of the scoreboard indicating the final score. |
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| Andrea Meyer scored a game-high 27 points in the final home game of her career. |
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Team
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CCC
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ALL
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Miami East
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12-0
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17-3
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Covington
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11-1
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17-3
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Arcanum
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9-3
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12-8
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Franklin Monroe
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8-4
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10-9
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Tri-County North
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8-4
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12-8
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Bethel
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7-5
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8-11
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Mississinawa Valley
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6-6
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10-9
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Tri-Village
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4-7
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9-10
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Ansonia
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4-8
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6-13
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Twin Valley South
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2-9
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6-13
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Newton
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2-10
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3-17
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Bradford
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1-10
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3-16
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| National Trail |
1-10 |
2-17 |
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Febuary 1, 2007 – COVINGTON
The five seniors on the Covington Lady Buccs' basketball team couldn't have picked a better way to go out in their final home game of their memorable careers.
Sparked by a game-high 27-point performance by Andrea Meyer, 15 coming in the first quarter alone, the Lady Buccs dominated rival Franklin Monroe 59-35 for a big Cross County Conference win.
"Franklin Monroe is probably our biggest rivalry," said Covington coach Chris Besecker. "Obviously, getting a win over them is sweet, but to do it on senior night was even sweeter."
Senior Andrea Meyer agreed.
"FM (Franklin Monroe) is a big rivalry for us," said Meyer. "It was senior night and we (the seniors) wanted to go out with a bang."
Indeed, the seniors did go out with a bang.
Meyer couldn't miss from the field in the first quarter as she scored the first seven points of the contest on a pair of jumpers and a three-pointer.
Meyer then accounted for eight more first period points to lead Covington to a 22-5 lead at the end of the stanza.
"Chig (Meyer) was on fire," Besecker explained. "We couldn't get her the ball enough."
Meyer felt she was just executing the game plan.
"We were focused from the start," Meyer said. "We wanted to jump on them in the beginning of the game and get out to a fast start. That's just what we did."
Franklin Monroe made the defensive adjustment in the second quarter and held Meyer scoreless over the remainder of the half.
But Covington still outscored the Lady Jets 8-5 over the entire second period as the Lady Buccs' defense was as suffocating as ever.
Covington's defense held Mara Howell, Franklin Monroe's leading scorer, to just two points in the first half.
"You can't question the effort of our kids," Besecker said. "We had a few lapses here and there, but the girls pressured their ball handlers and kept them from getting into a flow offensively."
Howell put Franklin Monroe's hopes of getting back into the game on her own shoulders in the third period. She scored five of Franklin Monroe's seven points, including a trey to force a Covington timeout midway through the period.
The Lady Buccs responded by shutting Franklin Monroe down over the remainder of the period to maintain a 36-17 lead.
After struggling offensively for much of the past two quarters, Covington got hot once again.
Ashley Johnson drilled two straight treys to follow a pair of Alex Christian free throws to push the lead to 44-19 early in the fourth.
Andrea Meyer then scored Covington' next seven points, but Franklin Monroe matched Meyer's effort with two jumpers and a three-pointer of its own.
Mara Howell then drilled two straight three-pointers, but Christian and Meyer combined for six straight Covington points before heading to the bench for the night.
Meyer, who scored her final points in the Covington gymnasium on a jumper, had mixed emotions as time was running out.
"I thought about it (the final moments of her last home game)," Meyer said. "It's sad. It seems like I was just a freshman not too long ago. All the sudden I've played my last game here. It's bitter sweet."
Howell followed with a jumper and a free throw, while Covington's Shelby Hoblit and Amanda Sprankle closed out the contest with a free throw and a short jumper to make the final score 59-35.
To go along with Meyer's 27 points, Alex Christian scored 14 points and Ashley Johnson dropped in 11 points.
Franklin Monroe received a 16-point performance by Mara Howell, 14 coming in the second half.
The victory is another of many memories for the senior class in the home gym, but the bond they have developed as friends and teammates is what they'll cherish most.
"There so many memories on this floor, but the best ones are the practices and being with my friends," said Meyer.
Alex Christian agreed.
"Being with my friends is what I'll miss," Christian said. "We still have some games left, but its special when we play here."
The victory improves Covington's record to 16-3 overall and 10-1 in conference play, while Franklin Monroe drops to 10-6 and 8-2 in conference play.
"We're playing pretty well right now," concluded Besecker. "We haven't taken any steps backwards and that's important. We're keeping positive things going and moving forward."
Covington closes out the regular season on the road against Mississinawa Valley next Thursday.
Scoring by Quarters:
Franklin Monroe ......5.......10......17.......35
Covington ...............22......30......36........59
Covington Scoring:
Andrea Meyer - 27
Alex Christian - 14
Ashley Johnson - 11
Chelsea Tebbe - 2
Renee Otte - 2
Amanda Sprankle - 2
Shelby Hoblit - 1
Franklin Monroe Scoring:
Mara Howell - 16
Amy Spitler - 8
Tiffany Kossler - 3
Sierra Brunner - 2
Holly Delk - 2
Kelsey Wiseman - 2
Amanda Brown - 2
Three-Point Scoring:
Covington: Ashley Johnson (3), Andrea Meyer (2)
Franklin Monroe: Mara Howell (3), Amy Spitler (2), Tiffany Kossler (1)
Junior Varisty Result:
Covington 36, Franklin Monroe 22
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