CONYERS, GA. — The Alcovy Tigers lost the season series against the Rockdale County Bulldogs Friday night, suffering a road sweep.
The Lady Bulldogs won 68-39 to end the Lady Tigers' win streak while the Alcovy boy’s team lost in another heartbreaker, 41-38.
Tigers fall in another close game
The Theme of close games continued for the Tigers and head coach Taylor Jackson on Friday.
The 41-38 defeat was the tenth time in Alcovy’s last 12 contests where the game was decided by 10 points or less.
Following a back-and-forth battle, the Tigers found themselves with a 38-36 lead with 2:40 left in the game.
After the Bulldogs pulled to within one-point at the free throw line, Rockdale County took the 39-38 lead on a mid-range jump shot.
On the next Rockdale County possession, the Bulldogs drained the clock before going for the game-sealing shot.
The shot missed, but landed back into the hands of a Rockdale County player for the rebound. The Tigers fouled the Bulldogs to send them to the line with just a one-point lead.
Two converted free throws later, Alcovy was down 41-38 and it would have one more chance to tie the game.
On the last possession, sophomore Andre Jerngian’s contested three pointer fell just short to seal Rockdale County’s victory.
Following the loss, Jackson spoke about what the mindset of his team needs to be through the final stretch of the season and into region tournament week.
“We just have to be tougher one through twelve. We scored 38 points tonight and we had one guy get 22 of them. We have to find a way to win these close games,” Jackson said. “[From here, it is] are we going to have guys step up? Are we going to have seniors say ‘you know what, I don’t want this [game] to be my last one?’”
In the scoring department, the Tigers were led by junior Nick Durham.
Durham finished the game with 22 points while knocking down six shots from the perimeter.
Senior Tim Walls followed with nine points, but Walls’ biggest contribution was from his rebounding.
The loss moved Alcovy to 12-9 on the year with a 2-8 record in Region 3-AAAAA play. The Tigers played a make-up game against the Lovejoy Wildcats Saturday, Jan. 27.
Lady Bulldogs end the Lady Tigers’ win streak
The Lady Tigers suffered their first loss since Dec. 18 on Friday as Rockdale County claimed its second win over Alcovy this season.
Similar to their first matchup, the Lady Bulldogs were able to shut down the Lady Tigers scoring attack.
After opening the game strong, a string of misses at the end of the first quarter allowed Rockdale County to jump out to a 16-7 lead.
The Lady Bulldogs’ momentum carried into the second frame as they added on to their lead.
Despite still trailing, Alcovy pulled closer before halftime on back-to-back three pointers from junior Kendall Banks and freshman Addison Way.
The pair of three pointers sent the Lady Tigers into intermission with a 29-18 deficit.
Coming out of halftime, everything seemed to be in the favor of Rockdale County.
In the final two frames, the Lady Bulldogs began to separate even further due to Rockdale County’s Tre’Miyah Berry.
Berry ripped off 22 points in the second half and provided all the cushion that Rockdale County needed despite the Lady Tigers scoring double-digits in the third and fourth frames.
The strong play from the Lady Bulldogs propelled them to a 68-39 victory.
For the Lady Tigers, scoring was led by Janae Hutcherson with 14 points in the loss.
The defeat moved Alcovy 12-7 on the year with a 6-4 record in Region 3-AAAAAA play.
Head coach Justin Hunter emphasized how the team's focus needs to stay sharp with their next game not too far ahead.
“[I told them about] how this is the first adversity we have had in a long time. We have had a win streak, but what are we going to do from here, because we have a game in less than 24 hours,” Hunter said. “Like in life, you run into a little adversity, but what are you going to do? You have to go out there and be productive the next day, that is the goal for the team.”
Following the loss, the Lady Tigers answered the quick turnaround with a 73-65 win over the Lovejoy Lady Wildcats in a makeup game on Saturday, Jan. 27. The win moved them to 13-7 with a 7-4 record in region play.
