LADY BUCCS PULL OUT A WIN OVER NEWTON

Avery Koffer makes an amazing basket on her way to a 12-point night in a 38-27 win over Newton. ©Ben Robinson/Color Green Photo

PLEASANT HILL – It wasn’t easy, but the Covington Lady Buccs were able to hold on for an 11-point win over neighboring rival Newton, 38-27.

The biggest impact for Covington was the defensive performance, particularly the ability to block several shots by Gabrielle Hartwig. Hartwig stood out, but the entire group on the floor had an impact for the Lady Buccs on the defensive side throughout much of the game.

What made it a contested game was the relentless effort applied by Newton. Covington had a few several point runs throughout the game, but Newton battled back every time.

The first offensive run for Covington came at the start of the game as the Lady Buccs built a 9-0 lead. Newton was able to battle back and eventually closed the gap to 14-13 midway through the second period.

Fortunately, senior Maggie Anderson got Covington rolling again as she knocked down back-to-back treys to ignite a 10-0 run that was closed out on a pair of buckets dropped in by Avery Koffer and Emalyn Johnson.

After leading 24-13 at the break, the Lady Buccs found themselves in a tough battle throughout the entire second half as both teams scored seven points in the third and seven more points in the fourth.

Covington did hold a double-digit lead for much of the second half, but Newton was eventually able to close the gap to 34-27 late in the fourth quarter. What hurt Covington was a situation where Maggie Anderson had to head off the floor to the athletic trainer so blood streaming down one of her hands could be cleared up.

Fortunately, Covington closed out the game with two consecutive buckets by Delaney Murphy and Avery Koffer to eliminate any possibility for Newton to record a comeback victory.

Offensively, Covington tallied 11 two-point buckets, four three-pointers and made four out of five free throws. Newton managed to connect on five two-point baskets, four treys and converted on five of nine free throws.

Maggie Anderson led the Lady Buccs with a game-high 16 points, while Avery Koffer tallied 12 points.

Covington’s record now is 17-2 and next up is a home game on Thursday against Lehman.

Despite suffering an injury with blood on her hand, Maggie Anderson led the Lady Buccs with a game-high 16 points. ©Ben Robinson/Color Green Photo
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COVINGTON SCORING:
Maggie Anderson – 16
Avery Koffer – 12
Delaney Murphy – 6
Emalyn Johnson – 4

NEWTON SCORING:
Mya Denlinger – 12
Paige Harbour – 10
Paige Holbrook – 2
Brynnasen Fiely – 2
Layla VanCulen – 1

THREE-POINT SCORING:
Covington – Maggie Anderson (3), Avery Koffer (1)
Newton – Mya Denlinger (4)

Delaney Murphy splits between two Newton defenders for a basket. ©Ben Robinson/Color Green Photo
Emalyn Johnson steals the ball. ©Ben Robinson/Color Green Photo
Gabrielle Hartwig had several blocked shots against Newton. ©Ben Robinson/Color Green Photo