LEWISBURG — Tri-County North played Covington to the buzzer, but ultimately ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard as they fell 47-46 on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
The game was tight from minute one until minute 32. Covington’s biggest margin was an eight point advantage midway through the fourth, but a 9-0 run put the Panthers in the driver’s seat with just over two minutes remaining.
In the final two minutes, the game had five lead changes with Covington delivering the final blow, sinking an 18-footer from the left side with 13 seconds remaining.
North had a final look, but the short range jumper hit the back of the rim as time expired.
“I thought we competed, I thought we played hard, we rebounded well, we played great defense. We had a chance there to win at the end – maybe some contact, maybe not – but the shot didn’t fall,” said head coach Dale Spitler, Jr. “I’m glad we were able to compete.”
The Panthers, for much of the night, found a lot of success on fast break opportunities and from pushing the ball up court. Their offense didn’t produce as successfully when Covington was allowed to set up their zone defense and the Panthers struggled shooting the ball during stretches of the contest.
Overall, North shot 36.7 percent from the floor on the day.
“We made a few shots, I’d like to see us make a few more, but I think we’re moving in the right direction,” said Spitler. “It’s a rough loss, but I’ll take this over getting beat by 30 any day. At least we are competing and moving in the right direction.”
They were led by Zach Edgin, who posted 17 points, three assists, and four steals. Kurt Brinson added eight points and five rebounds while both Gabe Brinson and Damon Nelson chipped in six points. G. Brinson also pulled down eight rebounds.
North will take part in Preble Shawnee’s Holiday Tournament on Dec. 29-30. Their first game is on Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 6 p.m. The next game will be on Dec. 30 but the time is yet to be determined.
