The Shadow
It had been awhile between drinks of water for the Covington Cougars.
The Cougars quenched that thirst with a win Friday night.
Tijon Rice scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, and Covington opened Pioneer District play with a 62-34 decision over visiting Eastern Montgomery.
The Cougars, now 2-8 as they approach the halfway point in the regular season, snapped an eight-game losing streak. They hadn’t won since their season opener on Nov. 26 against James River.
Rickey Jefferson added 11 points for the Cougars, while Jacob Roldan knocked in 10.
“We needed a win,”?said Covington coach Keith Moore. “We’ve had some good practices, and the guys have been anxious to play.
“It’s kind of rewarding if you can run what you’re supposed to run and get a win out of it,”?he added.
After a somewhat sluggish start and only a 9-4 lead after one, the Cougars found the mark in the second quarter. They hit four 3-pointers in the second stanza and finished the half with a 9-3 run, all coming from long distance.
Garrett Morgan started the spurt with a 3-ball, Rice followed suit, and Roldan capped the first-half scoring with a three of his own, as the Cougars extended a 21-9 lead to 30-12 at intermission.
They then started the third quarter with another spurt. Rice hit a pair of free throws, and Jefferson and Jaun Miller followed with old-fashioned three-point plays, giving the Cougars a 38-12 lead less than a minute into the period.
The Cougars ended the night hitting nine of their 30 three-point attempts. In comparison, they took only 23 shots inside the 3-point arc.
“We’ve been working really hard to move the ball and not being so selfish with the ball, making that second pass,”?Moore said. “I?thought the guys did a good job tonight.”
Miller just missed double digits with eight points, while Jabari Williams led the Cougars on the glass with eight boards, and Morgan had seven.
Eastern Montgomery was guilty of 30 turnovers on the night.
After enjoying this victory over the holiday break, the Cougars return to action in early 2019 when they face Parry McCluer.
“We’ve probably got the biggest game in the district on Jan. 3,”?Moore concluded. “They have a really good team.”
The Cougars made it a sweep with a 57-8 win over the Mustangs in Friday’s jayvee opener.
Logan Jefferson with 10 points paced a balanced Covington attack, while Javier Yancey and Gunner Givens added nine each.
Rounding out the Covington scoring were Sammy Akers with six, Levi Dressler with five, Brady Howard, Keshaun Hughes and Chadwick Tacy with four apiece, and Ashton Cook and Elijah Khan with three each.
The Cougars enjoyed a big 27-2 lead at the half.
Wednesday night, Covington’s jayvees, using only freshman, beat Patrick Henry’s freshman team, 48-41.
Yancey led the winners with 21 points.
Ladarron Butler and Givens had eight apiece, Howard had five, Dressler scored three, Tacy had two and Khan added one.
