COVINGTON, Ga. — Region play opened up for the Alcovy Tigers on Tuesday and the day ended with a statement 64-62 win over Winder-Barrow.

The Bulldoggs finished last year 11-1 in region play, but the Tigers put their stamp in what could be a competitive Region 8-AAAAA in 2025-26.

The Lady Tigers competed well with the Lady Bulldoggs for three quarters, but a late surge after a costly injury allowed Winder-Barrow to win the matchup 43-35.

In the final matchup of the day, the Tigers received quality efforts from a pair of starters to win on their home court.

Hamlin and Graves shine as Alcovy begins region play 1-0

A 1-0 start is exactly what first-year head coach Darrell Johnson envisioned, and he got it.

Alcovy ended a three-game skid in a strong fashion to defeat a Bulldoggs team that finished last year 26-4 and in the Class AAAAA Elite Eight.

Tuesday’s win would not have been possible without Mekhi Hamlin and Antione Graves, who finished as the team’s top scorers from the game.

Despite strong games from the two upperclassmen, it was matched by an even stronger game from Winder-Barrow’s Jerrin Samuel.

The 6-foot-5 senior did it all for the Bulldoggs on Tuesday.

Whether it was driving to the rim, taking perimeter shots or applying pressure on the defensive end — Samuel was “the” guy for Winder-Barrow.

Samuel opened the action with a deep three to put Winder-Barrow ahead, and Britt Richardson added on to give the Bulldoggs a 5-0 start.

Alcovy answered, and the teams traded blows before a three-pointer from Hamlin trimmed the Winder-Barrow lead down to 11-10.

Kortize Foust grabbed an Alcovy miss and put it back up to give the Tigers their first lead of the day, but Samuel answered instantly in the final seconds of the frame.

Samuel’s mid-range jumper landed, and it gave Winder-Barrow a 17-16 lead.

The Tigers and Bulldoggs continued to go back-and-forth, but Alcovy slowly started to inch closer as Winder-Barrow endured shooting woes.

In the final few minutes of the half, Alcovy turned it up.

A three-point play from Hamlin jumpstarted a run that gave Alcovy a sizable lead at halftime.

Up 26-24, a fastbreak connection from Kellin Hendrix to Graves extended the lead before a pair of free throws from Hamlin added even more.

In the final minute of the quarter, a second three-point play — this time from Jamari Willis — put the Tigers up 33-25 at the intermission.

The third quarter shaped up to be similar to the second as the Tigers continued to answer Winder-Barrow’s shots with more of their own.

Following a late-three-pointer from Immanuel Humphrey, the Bulldoggs went 0-for-3 the rest of the frame to trail 37-45 ahead of the final eight minutes.

Alcovy had the lead, the crowd and the momentum — but the Bulldoggs were not done.

Samuel and Grayson Engel quickly trimmed the lead down to six, and a three-pointer shortly thereafter from Richardson put the pressure on even more.

As Winder-Barrow seemed to find its shot, the Tigers lost theirs.

Alcovy began the final frame 2-for-7 as the Bulldoggs caught up.

After a jumper from Samuel made it a four-point game, Engel followed with one of his own to trim the Tigers’ lead to 53-51.

One shot now separated the two teams, but Hamlin managed to deliver some much needed separation with a big three-pointer.

Two Graves’ free throws later, Alcovy led 58-51.

But once again, Samuel put his team right back into it.

The Bulldoggs senior knocked down a three-pointer and an additional jumper on the next possession as the score remained close at 62-59.

By this point, Winder-Barrow was forced to intentionally foul the Tigers as the clock dipped below 30 seconds.

Graves was fouled first and knocked down one of his two shots to make it a four-point game.

A few seconds later, Samuel drains a contested three-pointer from long range — one point game.

One factor that allowed the Tigers to escape with the win was the team’s success on the inbound.

Winder-Barrow played physical and tight defense the entire last minute, but the Tigers managed to get the inbound pass off every time and to eventually get to the line.

Jakori Pinelle was fouled after the three from Samuel, and the Tigers’ senior made one of his two shots to make it a two-point game at 64-62 with 10 seconds left.

Winder-Barrow dribbled down the court with a pace that set up one shot.

The ball landed in the hands of their top scorer, Samuel, but the Tigers applied a double team. With a pair of defenders in his face, Samuel dished the ball out to Richardson, who was open at the top of the key.

With an open three-pointer to take the lead, Richardson’s shot was just off — ball game.

Hamlin and Graves paved the way for Alcovy as the pair finished with 24 and 18 points, respectively.

Willis followed with nine points in the win.

The Tigers ended a three-game losing streak with the win to secure the team’s fourth win of the season at 4-7.

The victory also gave Alcovy a perfect 1-0 start to region play, where the team finished 7-5 in 2024-25.

Alcovy will take the win into the holidays before it takes on Social Circle on Friday, Dec. 26.

Lady Tigers fall late after Baughns exits with injury

The Lady Tigers and Lady Bulldoggs battled it out in what was a close contest for the majority of the matchup on Tuesday.

Alcovy entered the game off back-to-back losses against county-foes Newton and Eastside.

Tuesday’s game posed another challenge for the Lady Tigers as Winder-Barrow entered the game 8-2.

Standout freshman Milani Baughns opened the scoring as she scored off an assist from Simaria Wilburn to take a 2-0 lead.

However, Winder-Barrow answered and eventually found itself up 10-2.

Key shots from Addison Way, Minah Little and Baughns kept the Lady Tigers in it, and the Lady Bulldoggs entered the second half with only a 10-8 lead.

Then, Way connected again to begin the quarter as Alcovy re-caputed the lead at 11-10.

Alcovy kept the momentum and ultimately took a 22-17 lead into halftime as the team connected on three of their last four shots to close out the quarter.

The second half started with a few misses from Winder-Barrow, but it was the Lady Tigers that suffered the biggest setback early on.

A minute into the third quarter, Baughns came down hard with an apparent leg injury. The freshman was attended to on the court before she was helped off.

Baughns did not return into the game for Alcovy as the Lady Tigers were forced to play the final two quarters without one of their top options.

As the Lady Bulldoggs came closer, a pair of key shots from Alyric Buckmon extended the lead.

However, it did not take long for Winder-Barrow to get itself back in the game as a jumper from sophomore Chelsea Latim put the Lady Bulldoggs ahead 30-29 at the end of the third quarter.

Amari Baker answered with a jump shot that put Alcovy back in front, but a pair of buckets from Tori Goolsby and Aryeana Harris gave Winder-Barrow a 34-31 lead.

Two made shots later, the Lady Tigers found themselves down 39-31.

Alcovy had shots attempts and free throws to draw closer, but Winder-Barrow added enough separation late to secure a 43-35 win in the region opener.

Little’s 11 points led the way for Alcovy while Buckmon and Way finished with eight and seven points, respectively.

Baughns finished her day with six points prior to her injury.

Alcovy’s girls team lost their third consecutive matchup in the loss as the team’s record dropped to 7-4.

Following the holiday, the Lady Tigers will compete in the Social Circle Christmas Tournament that will last from Friday, Dec. 26 to Monday, Dec. 29. As of now, the opponents have yet to be determined.