Both Troy and Covington had major struggles to score on Saturday night, as the two teams squared off in the Barn Ball Classic at Miami East, where eight teams from the Dayton area got together for the third-annual event in Casstown.

After a first half where both teams combined for only 19 points, Covington built a ten point lead after the third quarter, and survived a battle with the Trojans in the fourth quarter to escape with a 35-28 victory.

Troy scored the games’ first three points, all on free throws to take the early 3-0 lead before Covington could muster their first points. Brooke Gostomsky hit a layup for the first field goal of the game for either team with 2:50 left in the opening period. Jessie Crowell added a three-point play with just over one minute left in the quarter, and that’s how the period would end, with the Buccs leading 5-3. In the sloppy first quarter, Troy was held without a field goal but only trailed by two.

Gostomsky pushed the lead to 7-3 before the Trojans finally scored their first field goal of the game at the 4:10 mark of the half. A three-pointer from Jordan Short broke the ice, and after three more minutes went by before anyone would score, it was Troy who broke that string as well. Maddy Taylor scored in the paint to give Troy their first lead of the game 8-7.

It looked as if Troy would head to the half trailing their county foes, but Bailey Dornbusch connected in the closing seconds of the half, and the Trojans went into the break with a 10-9 lead.

Both teams came out in the second half and were much better offensively, as Covington scored the first seven points in the first two minutes, to gain a 16-10 lead.

After Bailey Hess put the Trojans on the board in the third period, Covington scored the next five, including a three from freshman Samantha Whiteman to take their lead out to 21-12 with 4:52 left in the third period.

The Trojans cut into the lead with a score from Short, but the Buccs again used Whiteman to score the next five points before Stephanie Chavins closed the quarter with a layup for Troy, but the Buccs had a 28-18 lead heading to the fourth.

Troy closed the gap to seven with 3:09 left, and when Hess hit a three with 10 seconds left, the Trojans were within five, but two free throws from Crowell iced the win for the Buccs.