Corky Kell & Dave Hunter Basketball Classic Preview - Alcovy vs. Newton (Girls)

In the third matchup of Day One of the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Basketball Classic, a cross-town rivalry will be renewed. Alcovy will travel to Newton in the two teams’ rivalry game.

The two teams will be entering the game after hot starts to the 2025-26 basketball season. Alcovy enters at 4-1. The 4-1 start is the team’s best since the 2019-20 season. The Tigers are much improved from last year, when they started 1-5. The team is led by a trio of guards that have fueled the hot start. Addison Way, Simaria Wilburn, and Minah Little are three of the team’s four leading scorers, combining to average 25.7 points per game, more than half of the team’s scoring output. Wilburn is also one of the team’s leading rebounders, bringing down 7.3 per game, second on the team and only 0.5 rebounds behind the team leader. One place the team has struggled is passing the ball, averaging only 8.8 assists per game, meaning only half of the team’s field goals have been assisted this season. The team has also struggled with efficiency, shooting just 32 percent from the field, but that has not slowed them down to this point.

Newton is the defending 6A champion and is once again a state title contender. The team is currently sitting at 3-1, with its only loss coming to nationally ranked North Paulding in a 63-53 matchup. The team is led by the trio of London Smith, Jazmin Maddox, and Kandice Shephard, who are all scoring in double digits and have combined to score 42 points per game, most of the team’s 63 ppg. The Rams will have the size advantage in the matchup and should make it difficult for Alcovy to score in the paint. Additionally, they have been shooting the ball well, making 42 percent of their shots and 50 percent of their two-pointers. The one area they have struggled in is three-point shooting, a strength last season,as their percentage has dropped from 35 percent to just 29 percent this year. In the rebounding department, the team rebounds well collectively, but Smith is the only player averaging more than five rebounds per game. Ball movement has been a strong point for the Rams, with two players, Smith and Mya Perry, averaging more than three assists per game and the team averaging more than 13 per contest.

The game will come down to which team defends the paint best. With both teams struggling to shoot from deep, the team that protects the paint most effectively will hold a major advantage. Offensively, if either team can find a consistent three-point shot, it will give them a significant edge. Newton will enter as a heavy favorite; however, the gap is not as large as in years past. Alcovy is much improved from last year and is a team that could make a run at the playoffs, and that run could begin with an upset of Newton.

ALCOVY ROSTER

Head Coach: Justin Hunter

1, Jeionna Redhead, SF/SG, 11

2, Alyric Buckmon, SG/PG, 12

3, Milani Baughns, SF/PF/C, 9

4, Suriah Whitfield, SF/PF, 11

5, Amber San Felipe, G/SG/SF, 11

11, Chasity Maddox, SG/SF, 10

12, Addison Way, PG/SG, 11

13, Amari Baker, SF/PF/G, 10

14, Jakayla Gates, G/SG/PG, 11

20, Saraya Sanders, SF/PF/G, 12

21, Kendalyn Tolbert, SG/SF, 10

23, Simaria Wilburn, SG/SF, 10

24, Minah Little, PG/SG, 11

33, McKenzie Belcher, C/PF/SF, 9

NEWTON ROSTER

Head Coach: Jawan Bailey

1, Kandice Shephard, G, 12

2, Mya Perry, SG/PG, 11

3, Kaitlin Goodman, SG/PG, 12

4, Jamira Flournoy, PG, 11

5, London Smith, SG/PG, 11

10, Ja’kaia White, PG, 12

11, Zoey Jackson, PG, 12

12, Joie Files, G, 12

13, Dinah Stephen, SG/SF, 12

15, Kennedi Carter, F, 9

21, Jazmin Maddox, G, 10

22, Zoei Whitehead, PF, 12

24, Skylar Levell, PF, 11

30, Haiydn Bell, F, 9

32, Azariah Washington, PG/SG, 12

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