It was a good old fashioned slugfest between Covington and Bethel at the Bee Hive on Friday.

And if these two young teams put on performances in the future like they did tonight, we are in for a treat in years to come.

The two young teams went toe-to-toe for four quarters, only to see the game tied at 56-56 after a Jordy Meyer trey at the buzzer to end regulation. The largest lead at any time during the game was eight points and that was early in the contest with Bethel holding an 18-10 lead before a Covington basket ended the frame at 18-12.

The host Bees never trailed as Covington managed to tie the game, but couldn't take the lead.

The Buccs did have a golden opportunity to take a lead late in the fourth quarter after a steal resulted in what looked to be clear sailing to a lay-up on the other end.

But a hustling defensive play by Sutton forced a turnover and a foul by Covington that turned the tables for the Bees.

Bethel would extend its lead to five, but a stick back by Andy Sparks and Meyer's trey sent the game into overtime - although overtime wasn't decided until a conference by the officials.

Meyer's left foot was close to the three-point line and two of the three officials had different opinions on whether the shot was a two-pointer or a three-pointer.

After a conference began at mid-court as both sides stood pleading their case to the men in stripes. Utimately, the official who determined Meyer had his feet behind the line won over. The game was headed to and extra frame.

The host Bees took the overtime tip and scored within ten seconds of the extra frame.

Covington couldn't find the bottom of the net on its first possession and picked up a foul on a rebound attempt.

Bethel converted on the two free throws and then took the air out of the ball, forcing Covington to foul.

While the Buccs went cold from the floor, the Bees kept knocking down free throws (8 of 8 in overtime) to take a 68-61 win.

It was an exciting game between two young teams with plenty of sophomores up and down the rosters.

If a game like this is what fans have to look forward to over the next couple of years, the gymnasium will be packed and the anticipation will be high.

Scoring by quarters:
Covington .......12......26......38......56......5 - 61
Bethel ............18......28......42......56.....12 - 68

Covington Scoring:
Sparks - 16
Meyer - 15
Thiebeau - 15
Lavey - 5
Craft - 4
Kanet - 2
Burelison - 2

Bethel Scoring:
Masin - 20
Sutton - 15
Yates - 12
Walters - 10
James - 9
McIntosh - 2

Three-Point Scoring:
Covington: Meyer (1), Thiebeau (1), Lavey (1)
Bethel: Yates (3), James (1)