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Lady Tigers exercise Demons
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Warner Robins coach Tom Mobley had seen the game tape.

He knew Alcovy center Ashley Williams possessed remarkable athleticism. And he knew she was capable of dominating a game at either end of the court. But the tape was nothing compared with the real thing.

Williams scored 20 points and pulled down 24 rebounds - about half of them on the offensive end - and Alcovy advanced to its first ever Elite Eight with a 71-62 victory over Warner Robins in a GHSA Class AAAA second- round tournament game on Tuesday night.

"She killed us all night," Mobley said. "She was still hovering above us after she'd fallen about six inches. Even when she mistimed her jump she would rebound. She's just a phenomenal athlete."

The Tigers (26-4) will play Forest Park this weekend at Fort Valley State University.

Thanks mainly to Williams, Alcovy collected twice as many rebounds as the Demonettes. She scored nine points in the fourth quarter. Alcovy reached the 70-point plateau thanks also to Meagan Tucker. Tucker scored a game-high 27 points, and surpassed 1,000 points for her career. She now has 1,013.

The Tigers trailed 60-57 midway through the fourth quarter when Williams scored rebound buckets on consecutive possessions as Alcovy regained the lead. The points sparked an 8-0 run that ultimately led to the Demonettes downfall. Warner Robins scored just two points in the game's final 5:14.

Warner Robins dug a hole early. Senior Kenyona Armstrong opened the game's scoring with a three-point play in the first minute. The Demonettes then missed their next 14 shots. In the meantime, Alcovy built a 17-3 lead. At the quarter, it was 21-7. Armstrong, who finished with a game-high 28 points, scored all of the Demonettes' first-quarter points.

At the half, it was 43-29 Alcovy. Junior point guard Meagan Tucker scored 19 of her team-high 27 points in the first half.

"We started the game great, like a house afire," Alcovy head coach Kidada Holtzclaw said. "We knew they were going to make a run and we talked about that at halftime."

Meanwhile, the Demonettes were having a conversation of their own in the home locker room. Mobley said the seniors took control.

"At the beginning of the second half, we weren't ready to go home," Armstrong said. "We were going to try to get every loose ball we can and make shots."

Warner Robins stormed back. The Demonettes opened the second half on an 11-5 run to get back into the game. At the 3:35 mark, Alcovy's lead had shrunk to 50-43.

Armstrong cut her team's deficit to two points when she scored in the lane. Moments later, the senior stole an in-bounds pass and went the length of the court for a layup that tied the game at 50-50.

Warner Robins went up by a basket just before the end of the third quarter. Guard Asha Stegall penetrated to set up Jada Everett for a layup and a 52-50 lead.

Demonettes senior Diamond Hudson made three of her four three-point shots in the third quarter to spark the comeback. She finished with 14 points.

Armstrong made a pair of free throws to put the Demonettes on top 60-57 with 5:14 remaining in the game. From there, Williams took control.

"We thought we had an edge on them in the post," Holtzclaw said.