Having great vision, strength, deceptive speed and uncapped energy is what you need to crush a team on your home court, and that’s what Tucker did to the Alcovy Lady Tigers, dismantling them in a double-digit victory. From start to finish, Tucker kept the lead, and never looked back.

Tucker Head Coach Robin Potter made it clear what her game plan was, because Alcovy couldn’t stop the pressure. Mariya Trimble made her name stick out for most of the night. She became the difference maker after out shining Alcovy’s Tierra Hodges. Hodges came into this round averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds. Those stats weren’t enough to pull away from Tucker, as Tucker displayed great defense and closing speed.

As for Trimble, her physical nature drew no comparison as she continued to make hard contested layups throughout the night. Her teammate who often came off bench, Najla Shamsia-Deen scored Dwayne Wade-like layups all night as she soared in opposite directions making her shots look extremely difficulty to handle.

Shamsia-Deen’s play fed off of Trimble’s, as the two tore through Alcovy’s defense with no remorse. Star post player Hodges landed in foul trouble early because of the playing style of Tucker’s Lady Tigers.

Bria Bass and Chiqueria Cook provided the size to grab rebounds, keeping the ball away from Alcovy the majority of the night. Trimble scored a team high 23 points dominating the paint. Occasionally seen running in excitement after a made basket, Trimble ignited the crowd and teammates with her passion for the game. Trimble and Bass showed great team chemistry orchestrating on the court in the post, while Shamsia-Dean displayed her great passing ability to create open shot opportunities for her defending state champion team members.

Having won the State Championship a year ago, the Tucker Lady Tigers were solely focused on getting back into the state playoffs and defending that championship against Alcovy who didn’t stand a chance on stopping Trimble. Although Trimble played terrific, Shamsia-Deen helped increase the lead by hitting key free throws to grow the lead to 19 by the end of the game. The fire in the eyes of each player on Tucker’s bench, didn’t want Alcovy to uphold a victory on their home court. Ultimately, the Lady Tigers are one step closer to hosting the region championship trophy, after beating the Alcovy Lady Tigers 59-40. The Lady Tigers played Lovejoy in the third place game, check the covnews.com for details.