Ja'Nile Alston drives to the basket during action Tuesday night in Brighton. Photo by Jeff Ireland
Much like when the Brighton and Covington girls met on Dec. 10 in Covington, Tuesday night’s game in Brighton was close for a quarter and a half.
But, as they did in December, the Lady Chargers went on a run before halftime and never gave up control of the game in a 49-29 win.
Sylvia “Bug” Jones scored for Brighton with 2:28 left in the second quarter to tie the score at 12-12. Covington (13-3) responded with an 18-2 run and Brighton (10-4) never recovered.
Three-pointers from Brinley Cousar, Trinity Taylor and Kalynn Howard sparked the run that gave Covington a 30-14 lead at the 4.48 mark of the third quarter.
“We pushed the ball and starting running our lanes,” said Howard, who finished with nine points. “It was rough at first, but we got aggressive.”
“We were kind of rusty, but I thought we played hard and aggressive,” said Felia Fayne, who scored 12. “We’re working hard and grinding … hard work pays offs. They’re a tough team. They make us better.”
The surge thats spanned the second and third quarters was sparked by defense as Covington’s press forced Brighton into multiple turnovers.
“We got out and played defense a little better, started breaking their press a little better and got out of our heads,” said Covington head coach Katrisha Glass. “We hadn’t played since the 21st so it took us a little while to get back in the groove.”
DaNiyasia Robinson had a solid game for Covington with 12 points and Cousar finished with seven, all in the second half. Jones led Brighton with 12 points and Albanie Dunn, who missed much of the game with an injury, scored six.
“Early on we played well,” said Brighton head coach Stan Gatlin. “We were running the game plan. We had a few breakdowns and they put points together. They’re a great team. If you make mistakes they will make you pay for it, and they did … We got a reality check as far as our overall effort for the entire game. I wasn’t pleased with that. They may have more talent but they don’t have to have more heart.”
Brighton has several key game coming up, starting with its district opener next Tuesday at Liberty Tech. Covington, which is already 2-0 in district play, has seven straight league games coming up, starting with a trip to Bolivar on Friday.
“We’ve got a lot of ball to go, but I’m pretty happy with where we are,” Glass said. “They’re going hard and making the adjustments I’m asking them to make.”
It was the second straight season Covington swept the season series with its rival to the south.
“Yes sir, it does a lot,” Howard said when asked if it means something special to beat a county rival. “I love playing Brighton and Munford.”
