CONYERS, Ga. — The 2025-26 season tipped off for the Alcovy Tigers and Salem Seminoles on Tuesday as the two schools split games to open the year.

The day began with a defensive battle between the two teams that resulted in a 45-31 win for the Lady Tigers and head coach Justin Hunter.

In the second game, Alcovy began the Darrell Johnson era. However, quality guard play from the Seminoles guards pushed Salem to a 68-53 win.

New leaders emerge for Lady Tigers in season-opening win

The offense did not arrive right away for Alcovy’s girls team on Tuesday, but the defensive effort did more than enough for all four quarters.

By halftime, Alcovy led Salem 19-9 as the Lady Seminoles could not find any success from the floor.

Salem’s Loriel Smith went on to lead the Lady Seminoles in points with a strong second half, but the sophomore was shutout in the first two quarters.

Moments after the game, Hunter expressed how crucial it was for the team to lean on its defense.

“Defensively, we held a definitely better Salem team in check,” Hunter said. “They had really good guard play, but we just tried to contain them. We were committed to competing for four quarters and being consistent. As long as we stick to that formula, we will like the results.”

With a stout defense in play, Alcovy’s offense slowly added on to its lead with a new mix of starters.

Two of the team’s top options, Minah Little and Simaria Wilburn, received praise from Hunter after win No. 1.

“[It was] the fact that Minah and Simaria didn’t force their game, they let it come to them,” Hunter said. “Minah took control like a point guard should. Simaria Wilburn played like an All-Region player should, on both sides of the ball. As long as they are committed to doing that, the sky is the limit.”

Multiple players got in the mix for Alcovy early, but Little and Wilburn scored Alcovy’s only points in the second quarter and helped the Lady Tigers establish a 10-point advantage at the break.

After the intermission, it proved to be a battle between Little, Wilburn and Smith as the three players had the ball in their hands often.

Alcovy outscored Salem 16-7 in the third frame, but Smith started to ramp it up in the final eight minutes of play.

Smith rattled off seven points quickly in the final frame, and Salem’s full-court press led to a few turnovers for the Lady Tigers.

Two late blocks on Smith courtesy of Wilburn slowed down the momentum and seemed to ice the game.

Salem pulled within 10 points in the final frame, but Alcovy’s late surge allowed it to grab a 45-31 win.

Little’s 16 points led Alcovy while Wilburn finished with 15.

One player who did not start but received extended minutes was freshman Milani Baughns.

Baughns only scored four points but her efforts on rebounding and physical defense allowed her to shine in the season opener.

“As a freshman, to say you are going to come in here and do the dirty work and get boards, it’s very impressive,” Hunter said. “It’s priceless.”

The victory is the Lady Tigers’ third season-opener win in the last four years as the team starts the year perfect at 1-0.

Salem rides early lead all the way to defeat Alcovy’s boys team in season opener

The boys matchup started fast, and the two teams traded scores back-and-forth on their way to a 17-17 tie to close out the opening frame.

For Salem, its points came primarily on the perimeter.

Outside of five free throws, all of Salem's first quarter points came on threes. Salem’s Xavier Broaden got hot early and knocked down a trio of three-pointers from the corner.

For the Tigers, they got it done at the rim.

A physical layup on the opening possession from Antoine Graves set the tone as Alcovy was not afraid to drive to the basket.

Early on, Graves and Jakori Pinelle controlled the tempo and led the Tigers on the offensive end.

Down by three in the final seconds of the first quarter, Graves knocked down one of the team’s only three-pointers of the day to tie the game.

However, the second quarter is where the separation occurred as Salem outscored Alcovy 18-8 in the frame.

Broaden and Armond Smith scored 12 of the Seminole’s 18 points in the quarter.

The Tigers got close with baskets from Kellin Hendrix, but it became clear that the Tigers could not match the scoring from the Seminoles’ backcourt.

Alcovy entered the third quarter down by 10, and the team responded well with a 15-point frame that was highlighted with key baskets from Graves.

However, this was matched by a 20-point quarter from Salem that seemingly put the game away.

As Graves shined in the third frame, Mekhi Hamlin went on to do the same in the final quarter as he ripped off eight points to close out the game.

Alcovy showed promise with quality play from Graves and Hamlin, but it was never able to establish multiple runs to put itself back in the game.

This was due in part to the strong play of Broaden and Smith, who finished with 22 and 16 points, respectively.

Graves’ 16 points led the way for Alcovy while Hamlin followed with 13 of his own.

What’s Next

With the Lady Tigers at 1-0 and the Alcovy boys team at 0-1, both teams will stay on the road to take on Locust Grove(Girls: 0-2, Boys: 1-0) on Thursday, Nov. 13.