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Fast start sparks Covenant boys past EMHS

Covenant’s boys basketball team knows they can’t wait and see what happens each game. They know what kind of squad they want to be.

 

“We’ve got to be a punch first kind of team,” said Covenant coach Clark Walker. “Especially at home.”

 

The Eagles delivered a knockout punch Thursday night at home, jumping out 11-0 on Eastern Mennonite after the opening tip en route to a 50-33 victory.

 

Five different Eagles scored during a huge 25-point first quarter surge, with Luke Burton notching six of his 11 points in the early going. Bryce Boland hit a pair of threes and Tristian Rodgers chipped in five points while Jake Haney and Sam Walkup each had four points.

 

“That was one of the better (starts) we’ve had,” Burton said. “Jake got a few steals and we threw it up ahead. When we get in transition we’re a dangerous team and we were just trying to keep that going.”

 

The Eagles defense throughout was more than enough to make that early surge standup over the course of the game. Early on the defense led directly to some easy buckets and throughout it kept Eastern Mennonite in check.

 

“Our defense fueled our offense,” Walker said. “We had a little bit of a zone we had been working on and guys had their hands up and were making deflections, creating opportunities to run.”

 

Eastern Mennonite did manage to stay within striking distance, trailing by just 12 points at one point. That’s when reserve guard Franco Wu got going. The 5-foot-5 shooter buried two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, accounting for two third of the Eagles scoring in that frame to keep Eastern Mennonite at arm’s length. The Covenant crowd exploded and the Eagles’ clearly got a lift from Wu’s effort.

 

“It’s incredible, we all get so excited,” Burton said. “It’s why you play basketball honestly.”

 

Walkup finished with a team high 12 points while Rodgers had seven points and Jake Haney chipped in six points.

 

Covenant will take on North Cross on the road Friday night.

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