TROY – The Covington Lady Buccs had their hands full on Monday against Troy, but managed to pull away in the second half for a 51-38 victory to improve to 2-0 in the early point of the season.
And it was an all-around team effort that led to the victory as Troy was focused on shutting down the Anderson sisters, Gracie and Maggie.
“Twelve and fourteen are who we need to worry about,” the Troy coach told his team after a timeout in the first quarter.
Still, Maggie Anderson was able to knock down two treys and a pair of free throws to go along with a bucket by Carlie Besecker to keep Covington in contention at the end of the first quarter where Troy built a 12-10 lead.
Troy maintained a two-point lead at the break 21-19, but Covington made some adjustments in the second half that turned the momentum into the Lady Buccs’ favor.
The difference was the aggressiveness of sophomore Delaney Murphy and senior Gracie Anderson as the two combined to score 20 points in the second half by taking the ball to the basket against a Troy defense that was physical throughout the entire game.
Murphy scored seven points in the third to lift the Lady Buccs to a 34-29 lead and then Gracie scored nine of her 11 points in the final frame to close out the 13-point victory.
Even though Troy was focused on shutting down the Anderson sisters, Maggie and Gracie combined to score 30 points on the night. Maggie led the way with a game-high 19 points, while Gracie tallied 11 points.
Delaney Murphy put forth an outstanding performance with nine points and senior Carlie Besecker made some big plays in critical situations, which led to an eight-point night.
The Lady Buccs (2-0) will be tested once again on Thursday as they host Jackson Center, which is a traditionally strong program.
SCORE BY QUARTERS:
Covington: 10 – 19 – 34 – 51
Troy: 12 – 21 – 29 – 38
COVINGTON SCORING:
Maggie Anderson – 19
Gracie Anderson – 11
Delaney Murphy – 9
Carlie Besecker – 8
Avery Koffer – 2
Gabrielle Hartwig – 2
TROY SCORING:
K. Baker – 9
P. Brewer – 6
J. Almeida – 5
E. Levan – 5
A. Bolden – 4
R. King – 4
J. Smith – 3
C. Brooks – 2
THREE-POINT SCORING:
Covington – Maggie Anderson (3), Gracie Anderson (1)
Troy – J. Smith (1), K. Baker (1), E. Levan (1)
