COVINGTON, Ga. - The Alcovy Lady Tigers (10-10, 3-4 region 3-AAAAAA) defense was enough to edge out the Greenbrier Wolfpack (14-7, 4-3 region 3-AAAAAA) in a 29-25 game where scoring was at a premium for both teams.
With just a few ticks on the clock left in a game with the Tigers leading 27-25 and the Wolfpack with possession of the ball, the Lady Tigers Unique Reed jumped the inbound pass, collected the ball and was fouled with .3 seconds left on the clock.
Reed, who finished as the team's leading scorer with 10 points, would go on to hit both of her free throws and give her team a two-possession cushion with the game all but won. Lady Tigers Head coach Justin Hunter was very pleased with Reed's effort on that final play and called her steal "timely."
"I think it was very timely, especially since she went ahead and hit those two free throws," Hunter said.
Steals were a common theme throughout the game, and the Tigers 11 steals often led to scoring opportunities and kept the ball out of a Wolfpack team that has found success scoring the ball all season long.
On a night where both teams tied or had their lowest scoring night of the season, Hunter harped on the excellent play of his defense after the game and maintained a proud demeanor after such a strong defensive outing.
Hunter has reason to be impressed and pleased with his team as the Wolfpack came in averaging 53.4 points per game. With his Lady Tigers holding them to less than half what they normally average, it makes sense why the Lady Tigers coach was so impressed.
"We made the stops that were necessary, and statistically this year, we have been strong defensively. This team here that was once at the top of the league to hold them to that amount of points when they're averaging over 50 that just lets you know our defense is on point," Hunter said.
As mentioned, it was a tough night offensively for both teams in the contest, and scoring less than 30 points will often not win basketball games. With Hunter's team playing elite-level defense, the focus now shifts to improving the team in another area.
"Now we're looking for execution on the offensive end just a little more or opportunities we need to take advantage of," Hunter said.
Hunter mentioned that he wants his girls to do a better job of hitting those late free throws that would have given his team a little more breathing room in the games waning moments.
Despite the offensive struggles, Hunter stressed that this game and season was definitely a sign of progression and growth. With the Lady Tigers falling to the Wolfpack by a score 54-39 in their last meeting and earning a win in their second shot at them, this should be the type of victory that they look to build on this year.
The Lady Tigers will get to work on adding more region wins as they go on the road to face the region-leading Grovetown Lady Warriors (13-6, 6-1 region 3-AAAAAA) on Friday, Jan. 24.
