COVINGTON - As the regular season ended Friday night, for some it would be their last game during the Heritage-Alcovy matchup.

With the stands filled to capacity, the seniors proudly took to the court looking for one last great showing.

And for the boys, they got it.

The Tigers (10-12 overall, 7-6 Region 8-AAAA South) won their fifth straight game, 51-49, defeating the top-ranked Patriots in region.

"It was a good win versus a really good team," said Alcovy coach Eugene Brown. "We wanted to compete hard and keep the winning streak going into the region tournament."

Earlier Friday, the Lady Tigers (2-17, 2-11) were less fortunate, falling 64-38.

In the boys game, Brown started all five seniors, allowing them another chance to shine before the Tiger-faithful. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Fab Five applied full-court pressure, seizing two early turnovers from Heritage.

One of those turnovers led to a huge dunk by Worrel Clahar, igniting the crowd and allowing Alcovy to inch closer, down 11-10 after the first quarter.

As the second period got under way, the Tigers allowed the referees to take the wind out of their sails, as several bad calls against them let the Patriots grab a 27-23 halftime lead.

After the third quarter began, both teams realized there was a lot more at stake than just a win - the difference between a first and fourth place seeding in the upcoming region tournament was up for grabs.

The Tigers, who have been a set-offensive team all year, decided to mix it up, using an alley-oop pass to Cody Edwards that got the attention of everyone. Still trying to fight back, they headed to the fourth quarter down, 39-36.

The final period started with both teams in the bonus, which caused the game to turn into a free throw contest. But the better squad on this particular night would be the Tigers.

Leading the charge was Clahar, who gathered eight of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter.

Edwards finished with 11 points, while Keenan Black had seven.

Juron Dobbs led Heritage with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Shakeem Mitchell added 11 points.

Earlier Friday, the Lady Tigers took to the court but seemingly forgot to bring their game.

After the Lady Patriots (18-6, 10-3) went on a 19-2 run to end the first quarter, things never got better for Alcovy.

The Lady Tigers - who still fought hard until the very end - were unable to stop the more aggressive, hot shooting Lady Patriots.

Zaneta Gray led Heritage with a game-high 18 points. Precious Elkins followed with 15, while Sarah Herrington chipped in with 12 points.

Alcovy's Tiffany Moody had a team-high 10 points. Alex Tucker added nine.