In the boys game, Alexander trailed by two in the final minute and then cut the deficit to one on a Jermaine Carpenter free throw. With just seconds to play, AHS forced a turnover and both Lemarcus Frazier and Kevion Dailey got looks under the basket but could not get the shot to fall.
“We were able to get two shots off in the last five seconds despite being covered,” said Cougar coach Jason Slate. “I felt like we got fouled on both, but the officials did not see it that way.”
Alexander led at the end of every quarter except the last one, going up 13-11 in the first quarter and 28-25 at halftime. They were up 37-35 after the third.
“This was our best defensive game of the year and our best rebounding game of the year,” Slate said. “Offensively we did not play badly either. They are a very good defensive team, and we got good shots off but could not get them to fall.”
Karim Mawuenyega led AHS with 11 points. Frazier followed with eight.
The AHS girls could not score at all in the first quarter, and saw themselves trailing 16-2 after eight minutes of play.
“We could not catch or pass the ball,” said Lady Cougar coach Marcy Camp. “When we had a shot we could not make it. At first we got cold, and then we seemed scared.”
Alexander found their game in the second quarter, trailing 38-16 at the half, and played well in the second half, cutting the deficit to 53-29 in the third quarter before falling by 11 in the fourth.
“We could not get back [to defend the basket] in time and so in the second quarter I started putting Kaitlin Massey back and she stayed on the defensive side of the court for the entire game and it made a difference,” Camp said. “We also started playing Man [coverage] and we matched up well. Now I know what we need to do the next time we face them.”
Molly Brown led Alexander on the offensive side of the board with 14 points. Daijea Anderson played a solid offensive game with 13 points and also was strong on defense.
“She played probably her best game,” Camp said. “I know I say that every week, but she gets better and better every game. Defensively she was all over the place, springing up and down the court.”
Camp also added that she was happy with the defensive effort of Treasure Matthews, who was once again put in charge of guarding the other team’s best player.
“You can not ask for a better person to guard their best player,” Camp added.
The AHS girls are now 6-7 overall and 2-1 in the region. They will be back in action today against Sandy Creek. The home game will start at 6 p.m. and the boys will follow at 7:30 p.m.
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