MCDONOUGH, Ga. — The Alcovy Lady Tigers prevailed over Union Grove in a 51-36 game where they held the lead for the majority of the 36 minutes. 

The Lady Tigers were dominant in every area of that game and seemed to be in control from beginning to end. Lady Tigers head coach Justin Hunter was very happy and proud of his team. 

"It feels good because a progression is always something you want to see in anything you do," Hunter said. "Every girl stepped up, and all the seniors did, so I was just proud of the total team game that we played tonight."

It definitely was a team game as the Lady Tigers did not have one single standout scorer but had multiple contributors in their victory. Although there is excellent depth on this team, senior Serai Johnson — who missed last season with an ACL injury — led the team with 13 points.

"I think it's a beautiful story, and it's a story that everyone in the county needs to recognize," Hunter said. "She took a whole year off, and if you look at her stats as a sophomore, she had a pretty decent year for us."

The Lady Tigers also had solid nights from Danni Durham, who finished with 10 points, and Ajoyous Tuggle, who finished with 8 points. Exceptional defense also played a significant role in the Lady Tigers' victory. 

Holding a team to just 36 points is a sign of remarkable defensive play, and that was most definitely the case for this team. Hunter was thrilled with the effort of his team and how they pressed and swarmed the ball handler. 

"Just playing intense defense and smart sound basketball is what I preach to the girls," said Hunter. "With my girls, I preach the two E's, effort and execution. Execution may not always be there, but the effort should always be there."

A final area that Hunter was pleased with was their ability to rebound the basketball. Multiple second-chance opportunities were made because of the efforts on the boards by Dalehia Bolden and Danni Durham.

"Those bigs deserve every bit of that, they put in the work, and I'm tough on them, and sometimes they don't understand it, but they don't need to understand it right now," said Hunter. 

The Tigers will look to build on this victory in their next matchup, which comes on Friday, Nov. 15, on the road against Lithonia.