The Lady Tigers of Alcovy got their first win in region 2-AAAAAA this season on Friday evening. It wasn’t an easy one by any means, as the Lady Wildcats of Lovejoy gave them all they could handle. But, Alcovy fought it out, and displayed some toughness with a 51-46 win over Lovejoy.

Alcovy has had an up-and-down year to say the least. At times they can seem like they’re just not ready to take the next step, like they looked against Salem in a blowout loss to start the season. There are other times where it seems like they are better than you thought they would be, for instance when they defeated Eastside in dominant fashion. Also, maybe the Lady Tigers best game of the season came in a buzzer-beater loss at region rival Newton.

Junior forward Tierra Hodges has been a premier player, and has led by Alcovy all season. According to MaxPreps, Hodges is averaging 16.3 points per game and 8.6 rebounds. She has a strong game inside and out. She can post you up and go to work there, but she can also face-up at the top of the key and drive the lane or step back and hit the jumper.

She is unstoppable in the pick and roll game, and she can be a tenacious rebounder. Along with Newton’s Imani Broadnax and Eastside’s Janelle Cook, Hodges may be one of the best female basketball players in the county.

Alcovy’s success hasn’t just come from Hodges alone; a lot of their success comes from their defense.

Defensively, the Lady Tigers are able to turn teams over with their active hands and body movement. Senior Keidra Sims comes off the bench and is persistent on the defensive end, bringing intensity to the game for Alcovy. Alcovy is a fairly good rebounding team which prevents other teams from getting extra chances to score.

“We’re getting our hand in that passing lane,” David Baker, Alcovy head coach, said. “Talking on defense is key.”

The Achilles’ heel for the Lady Tigers this season has been their offense. Tierra Hodges has had high-scoring games, but Alcovy is not getting enough out of other players on the team on that end of the floor.

In a previous game against Newton, only four Alcovy players scored the entire game. Seniors Aleziah Wilson, Ayanna Wimbush, and Kiara Bagby along with Hodges seem to carry the load for Alcovy offensively. Wilson gets most of her points off of rebounds, while Bagby and Wimbush get points off shooting and slashing to the rim.

“It’s going to come with time,” Baker said. “They are starting to jell well, and you will see that we will have more balance scoring.”