SIDNEY – The Covington Lady Buccs defeated Lehman Catholic 52-33 in a game where the entire roster had a huge impact in what was a complete team effort.
The Lady Buccs started off with a 15-9 lead after one and extended the scoring advantage to 25-16 at the break. The lead could have been much more extended, but unfortunately the Lady Buccs failed to connect on several short scoring opportunities.
Fortunately, Covington’s defense made things difficult for Lehman due to its relentless effort, speed, quickness and execution.
The defensive performance for Covington was even more impressive in the third period as it held the Lady Cavaliers to just four points in the frame – a trey and a free throw. This gave the offense some time to find its groove, which started after the first three minutes ran off the clock in the third. Delaney Murphy drilled trey and scored on a runner, while Avery Koffer converted a steal into a layup and Maggie Anderson connected on a pair of free throws to push Covington’s lead to 34-20 with one quarter to play.
The Lady Buccs extended their momentum in the final period by outscoring Lehman 18-13. Six players put points on the board for the Lady Buccs in the fourth – the most players to score in one frame so far this season.
What was most impressive was the performance of some of the youngest players on the team. Bella Batdorf dropped in a three-pointer, while Kyle Palsgrove and Emalyn Johnson both played extremely hard and hit a key bucket each. Plus, even though they didn’t score points, Stevi Newhouse, Aubrey Hoying and Mackenzie Grear executed their responsibilities with solid defense, pulling down rebounds and making some nice passes.
Obviously, Lehman’s defense was focused on containing senior standout Maggie Anderson. This led to several very hard fouls where Anderson was able to take advantage of by going five-for-five at the free throw line and finishing with a game-high 17 points. She also showed her unselfishness by tossing the basketball to open teammates for open looks at the rim.
Avery Koffer scored 12 points, while Delaney Murphy had nine points and Gabrielle Hartwig dropped in six points.
The win boosts Covington’s record to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the TRC. Next up is a huge showdown next Thursday with Milton-Union, who is 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the TRC.
| 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | FINAL | |
| COVINGTON | 15 | 10 | 9 | 18 | 52 |
| LEHMAN | 9 | 7 | 4 | 13 | 33 |
COVINGTON SCORING:
Maggie Anderson – 17
Avery Koffer – 12
Delaney Murphy – 9
Gabrielle Hartwig – 6
Kylie Palsgrove – 3
Bella Batdorf – 3
Emalyn Johnson – 2
LEHMAN SCORING:
K. Rank – 13
L. Graham – 8
M. Karn – 5
L. Platfoot – 4
C. Giguere – 2
T. Platfoot – 1
THREE-POINT SCORING:
Covington: Avery Koffer (2), Maggie Anderson (2), Delaney Murphy (1), Bella Batdorf (1)
Lehman: K. Rank (3), L. Platfoot (1), M. Karn (1), L. Graham (1)
