ANNA – Starting slow has become an issue for the Covington Lady Buccs as of late and Thursday it led to a 36-32 loss at Anna.
Covington dug itself a huge hole as it failed to score a single point in the opening frame, which led to a 14-0 lead for Anna.
But even with the struggles of putting the ball in the basket, there was no quit in the Lady Buccs as they scratched and clawed their way back into the game.
Sparked by sophomore Maggie Anderson, who got Covington started with a three pointer and seven points in the second, the Lady Buccs outscored Anna 13-8 in the second to close the gap to 22-13 at the break.
Covington struggled again hitting shots in the third as Maggie Anderson and Avery Koffer dropped in the only two buckets in the frame. Fortunately, the Lady Buccs played great defense and held Anna to five points to stay in contention heading into the final frame trailing 27-17.
Maggie Anderson and Gracie Anderson ignited the Lady Buccs once again by combining for 13 of the 15 fourth quarter points, while the defense prevented Anna from knocking down a single field goal in the fourth period. The Rockets were able to hold on for the victory, however, as they converted on nine of 16 free throws in the final frame.
The free throw line was the deciding factor as Anna made 10 of 18 throughout the contest, while Covington only attempted five free throws and made four.
Maggie Anderson led Covington with a game-high 14 points, while Gracie Anderson scored eight points – combining for 22 of the 32 points scored by the Lady Buccs.
The loss drops Covington’s record to 7-4 on the season as the Lady Buccs look to find consistency next week in the Buccaneer Holiday Classic. The Lady Buccs open against Bradford on Wednesday.
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
Covington – 0 – 13 – 4 – 15 – 32
Anna – 14 – 8 – 5 – 9 = 36
COVINGTON SCORING:
Maggie Anderson – 14
Gracie Anderson – 8
Avery Koffer – 4
Carlie Besecker – 2
Delaney Murphy – 2
ANNA SCORING:
Poeppleman – 12
Cobb – 12
Pettus – 4
Staudter – 2
Platfoot – 2
Wolters – 2
Huber – 1
Reed – 1
THREE-POINT SCORING:
Covington – Maggie Anderson (2), Gracie Anderson (2)
Anna – Poeppleman (2)
