The Shadow
Covington was gaining momentum early in the third quarter Thursday night in the Cougar Den.
Jacob Roldan had scored twice in transition and Javier Yancey drove baseline for another bucket and suddenly a nine-point first half hole had been cut to just two.
The run prompted a Parry McCluer timeout.
It was a productive one for coach Mike Cartolaro, who spent 21 years and won four state championships at Altavista before taking the position in Buena Vista before the 2016-17 season.
The Fighting Blues outscored the Cougars 14-2 over the rest of the quarter and went on to a 59-41 Pioneer District victory.
The win kept Parry McCluer unbeaten in the league at 3-0, 8-4 overall.
Will Dunlap led the winners with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while 6-foot-9 sophomore Spencer Hamilton added 17 points, six boards and four blocks.
“Parry McCluer is a very well-coached team,” said Covington first-year head coach Casey Burks. “They are very disciplined. They will work the ball forever until they get the shot that they want. That’s exactly what they did tonight.”
The Blues shot 49 percent (21-for-43) from the floor and used their size inside to outrebound Covington 34-15.
In the first half, Burks used Jabari Williams to challenge Parry McCluer’s frontcourt.
A series of pinpoint post passes from Roldan, Yancey and Skyler Barnett led to Williams buckets and a Sammy Akers three at the second-quarter buzzer had the Cougars within six, 27-21, at the intermission.
“If you go back to the first half, we go inside to Jabari — it worked,” Burks said. “The second half we didn’t stick to the game plan and we started doing our own thing. It bit us tonight.”
Covington made just 2-of-15 from behind the 3-point line and was 0-for-7 in the second half.
Akers led the Cougars with 12 points, 10 coming in the first half, while Williams had 10 points, nine before the break.
Covington (2-3 Pioneer District, 4-10 overall) will host Bath County on Monday night.
The Cougars were an exciting 53-50 winner in Thursday’s junior varsity game.
They trailed 28-23 at halftime.
Levi Dressler and Purcel Turner both scored 14 for CHS, Ashton Cook had 10, Justice Maloney had nine, Hunter McClain chipped in four and Brady Howard had two.
Evan Cook led the Blues with 22.
Friday’s Game
The Cougars scored just eight points in the opening half and fell to Greenbrier East in Fairlea, 70-30.
Williams led Covington with 12 points while and Logan Jefferson had 10.
Tucker Via topped the Spartans with 15, while Adam Seams and Zach Patton both scored 11.
Covington lost Friday’s JV game, 92-43.
Turner led the Cougars with 12 points, McClain had 11 and Cook scored eight.
Howard with seven, Maloney with three and Dressler with two completed the scoring.
————————————————————————————————————————————–
Covington’s Jabari Williams converts a basket and is fouled by Parry McCluer’s Spencer Hamilton in Thursday’s nights Pioneer District game at the Cougar Den. (Gavin Dressler Photo)
