LADY BUCCS SHOWED TOUGHNESS IN UNFORTUNATE LOSS

Maggie Anderson scored a game-high 25 points against Arcanum on Friday.

COVINGTON – The Covington Lady Buccs came of short of coming back from a 15-point deficit in a 60-57 overtime loss to Arcanum in the opening round of the sixth annual Buccaneer Holiday Classic on Friday.

The Lady Buccs gave a great effort throughout the entire contest, but their downfall was a 22-2 run by Arcanum midway through the first half.

Covington started out the game on a 7-2 run, but suddenly shots wouldn’t fall for the Lady Buccs over an eight minute span. This led to a 22-2 run for Arcanum that gave the Trojans a 24-9 lead midway midway through the second quarter.

After a Covington timeout, junior Maggie Anderson ignited the Lady Buccs with back-to-back three-pointers. The Lady Buccs then closed the gap to 26-20 at the break.

Covington continued to battle throughout the second half and eventually took a 45-44 lead with 2:08 left in the game on a layup by Carlie Besecker.

The lead changed two more times in the fourth until Delaney Murphy gave Covington a 49-48 lead with 19 seconds left on a runner.

With 0.3 seconds left in the game Covington was called for a foul that led to a free throw by Arcanum that tied the game at 49-49 to extend the contest into overtime.

Unfortunately for Covington, Carlie Besecker, Maggie Anderson and Gracie Anderson all fouled out in overtime, which led to a 60-57 defeat.

Despite the loss, the Lady Buccs showed the mental toughness need to get themselves back into the game after a rough stretch in the first half.

Maggie Anderson was the spark for Covington as she led the way with a game-high 25 points.

The Lady Buccs play Bradford tomorrow in the consolation round at 3:00pm.

Meg Rogers (left) and Nigella Reck (right) were honored for their accomplishments during the 2023 softball season. Both earned First-Team All-Ohio, First-Team All-Region and Nigella Reck became the first Covington softball player in school history to earn First-Team All-American honors.

SCORE BY QUARTERS:
Covington – 9 – 20 – 32 – 49 – 57
Arcanum – 10 – 26 – 39 – 49 – 60

COVINGTON SCORING:
Maggie Anderson – 25
Gracie Anderson – 9
Carlie Besecker – 7
Avery Koffer – 7
Delaney Murphy – 5
Gabrielle Hartwig – 4

ARCANUM SCORING:
Alexis Gibbons – 23
Brooke Anderson – 22
Caroline Long – 10
Matty Noe – 4
Ashlyn Miller – 1

THREE-POINT SCORING:
Covington – Gracie Anderson (3), Maggie Anderson (2), Avery Koffer (1)
Arcanum – Brooke Anderson (4), Alexis Gibbons (2)

Carlie Besecker powers her way to the basket to give Covington a 45-44 lead late in the fourth quarter.
Delaney Murphy drives to the basket for a bucket that gave Covington a 49-48 lead with 19 seconds left in the game.