The Shadow
The Covington Cougars punched their ticket into the finals of the Alcova Mortgage Cougar Basketball Classic in convincing fashion Friday night.
Three Cougars combined for 50 points, as Covington raced by Eastern Montgomery in Friday’s opener at the Cougar Den, 56-21.
The Cougars will get the Lee Ladies of R.E. Lee in tonight’s championship game. Lee defeated Alleghany in Friday’s nightcap, 73-34.
Sa’Mone Moore scored 11 of her game-high 22 points in the third quarter to pace the Cougars, now 2-4 on the season.
The sophomore added eight rebounds and five assists.
Leteashia Clarke scored 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, while Autumn Phillips scored 13 points and dished out six assists for Covington.
“For the second straight game, we passed the ball really well,” commented CHS coach Mark Pifer. “Autumn and Sa’Mone did a very nice job of getting the ball to the open person, combining for 11 assists.
“Leteashia played well again,” Pifer added. “When she plays well, we play well.”
The Cougars raced to a 28-6 lead at the half.
“I thought we did a good job of playing at our tempo,” Pifer said. “Sometimes we let the other team dictate the game’s pace.”
Afton Graham and Danielle Simpkins had six points each for Eastern Montgomery, which is coached by former Alleghany standout Michael Hunter.
The task becomes a bit more daunting for the Cougars in tonight’s championship game against R.E. Lee, which is led by James Madison recruit Angela Mickens.
“Of course, tonight it gets much tougher,” Pifer said. “I think our kids are looking forward to it, though.
“Mickens is the best player I’ve seen in a long time,” the CHS coach added. “She passed everyone’s eye test last night. It took about 30 seconds for her to have everyone in that gym talking about her.”
After tonight, the Cougars pack their bags for Orlando, Fla., and a three-game stint in the KSA Events 2011 Pre-Holiday Basketball Tournament at Disney World.
