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PREP BASKETBALL: Tigers take down Eagles
Alcovy basketball
Alcovy collected a 61-55 victory over county rival Eastside in overtime Friday night. - Garrett Pitts | The Covington News

COVINGTON, Ga. — Alcovy took down rival Eastside for the first time in two years Friday night as the Tigers pulled out a 61-55 win in overtime.

Right after the opening tip-off, the game was neck-and-neck, as the Tigers and Eagles would trade scores for majority of the opening quarter. 

Sophomore forward Steven Moore would come through with points near the end of the quarter which would allow the Tigers to get separation and go into the second quarter with a 19-14 lead over the Eagles.

Eastside came out of the first quarter strong as they would storm back and take the lead in the second quarter as seniors Jaylen Lelie-Johnson and Jayce Douglas would bring the Eagles out in front with a quick barrage of scoring.

The two county rivals went back and forth for the remainder of the quarter before going into halftime with Alcovy leading 28-24.

Coming out of halftime, the Eagles would start to gain some momentum as Jackson and Douglas would deliver Eastside with a 40-30 lead going into the fourth quarter.

Entering the final quarter, it was crucial for Alcovy to address the miscues that were beginning to set them back in the final stretch of the game.

“We made a lot of mistakes,” Alcovy head coach Mack Hardwick said. “We made a lot of careless mistakes and careless turnovers, we missed rebounding assignments and free throws. We just had to keep our composure.”

The Tigers would find a way to get the lead late as points from senior Trevon Howze and sophomore Ben Hodges would give Alcovy the 49-44 lead with just under a minute left in the game.

The Eagles would refuse to go away as junior Jacquez Williams would knock down the three-pointer to bring them within two, followed by a foul on senior Chancellor Marks which would allow the senior Eagle to knock down the two free-throws to tie the game at 49-49 as time expired.

Going into the halftime, Hardwick was making sure the Tigers did not let Eastside’s momentum get the better of them before the final four minutes.

“[I was] telling them to stay composed, and to make no turnovers and to run our plays and stay disciplined on offense,” Hardwick said.

A quick and-one from Howze would begin a final momentum push for the Tigers as Alcovy would get to a 59-51 lead before Moore would throw down a big dunk to put the exclamation point on the big overtime win for the Tigers.

Douglass would score four points in the final ten seconds for the Eagles, but it would be too late as the Tigers run earlier in overtime would be too much to overcome.

Alcovy would go on to win by six, as the Tigers would get their first win over the Eagles in two years and move to 2-2 on the early season. Howze led the Tigers in scoring as the senior guard would finish the game with 16 points.

Following the win, Alcovy will be back on the court tomorrow as they take on the Dawson County Tigers, while Eastside will look to bounce back next week as they take in the Apalachee Wildcats Tuesday, Dec. 8.