NEWTON COUNTY – Thursday’s home matchup between the Alcovy Tigers and the Ola Mustangs from McDonough ended in mixed results.
The Lady Tigers led for the majority of their contest against the Lady Mustangs. But despite gutsy performances from seniors Janae Hutcherson and Shamariah Gibbs, Ola charged back in the fourth quarter to take over the lead and secure the 52-47 win.
On the boy’s side, star guard Nick Durham continued to shine, putting on one of his best performances in his high school career over a previously state-ranked Ola team. In the end, the Durham-led Tigers won decisively with a final score of 67-48.
Lady Tigers fall short despite leading over three quarters of the game
Alcovy started slow out of the gate, allowing a 7-2 run in the opening minutes of the game. In the second portion of the first quarter, scores from Hutcherson, Addison Way and Simaria Wilburn brought the game to 12-12. A go-ahead layup from Gibbs put the Lady Tigers up 14-12 at the end of the first frame.
The Lady Tigers’ run continued into the second quarter, going up 10-0 in a six-minute span between quarters. But the shooting from Ola’s Lyla Leonard kept the Lady Mustangs in it, bringing the game to 28-27 going into the half in Alcovy’s favor.
The offensive prowess of Alcovy shined bright in the third quarter, with Gibbs and Hutcherson producing key moments to extend their lead to 42-35 heading into the final frame.
Unfortunately for Alcovy, that was when the game turned on its head as the Lady Mustangs went on a 12-0 run to take the lead 47-42. Quick buckets from Wilburn and Hutcherson kept the game close, but it was not meant to be as the Lady Tigers dropped the contest 52-47.
Gibbs led all scorers with 14, while Hutcherson and Wilburn had 13 apiece. Leonard led all Lady Mustangs scorers with 14.
The loss marked another disappointing result for Alcovy despite having control of over half of the game. The Lady Tigers now fall to 2-6 on the season, and will hope to rebound tonight against the Jasper County Hurricanes (0-2) on the road
Durham drops 33 in strong performance against Mustangs
The Tigers went to work immediately in the first quarter, with speedy scores from guards Jaqari Smith and Lee San Felipe. The combination of Durham, Smith and San Felipe led the Tigers to a 16-7 score to close out the first quarter.
While the Tigers continued to keep the lead throughout the second frame, the Mustangs raced forward, going on a 8-0 run to close out the half to keep the game within five points.
The third quarter became a turning point for Alcovy, as Durham led the Tigers to an 18-point quarter. Paired with a strong defensive performance from Adarian Johnson, the Tigers went into the fourth quarter with a 46-39 lead.
All cylinders clicked for the Tigers in the fourth quarter as they outscored Ola 21-9 to take the 67-48 victory.
Durham finished with 33 points and 10 rebounds, tying his season-high in points and marking his second double-double of the season. Smith finished with 12 points while San Felipe finished with 10. Johnson recorded 10 rebounds to go along with six points of his own.
Bello led all Ola scorers with 18, while Kennesaw State University commit Nigel Thomas was notably held to just three points.
Head coach Taylor Jackson credited the team’s victory to the mental toughness and preparation that has been instilled in them.
“The first half you saw glimpses… but the second half was really where it was like ‘Okay every time, every time, every time. We’re gonna do it. We’re gonna do it. And when you look at the scoreboard you’re where you wanna be.”
The win now moves the Tigers to 6-2 on the season, an improvement from this time one year ago.
Facing a former state-ranked single A team in the Jasper County Hurricanes on tomorrow, Jackson said that treating high level of play as the standard is what is keeping the Tigers locked in moving forward.
“We’re getting to the point where a high level of play is the expectation,” Jackson said. “So we should be excited when we beat a good team… but at the same time you should also expect it because you can be a great team.”
