2020 DCSD Middle School Basketball Championships Girls' Champion -- Tucker Lady Tigers

2020 DCSD Middle School Basketball Championships Girls’ Champion — Tucker Lady Tigers

The Tucker Lady Tigers got 30 points from Malaya Jones on the way to a 43-32 victory over the Chamblee Lady Bulldogs in the DeKalb County Middle School Girls’ Championship game at Miller Grove High School on Saturday.

The Region 1 co-champions were both 15-1 entering the title game having split their regular season games with Tucker winning the first matchup 56-23 and Chamblee captured the win in the second game 44-29.

Jones, the Tournament MVP, got off to a fast start scoring all 11 of Tucker’s first quarter points on the way to an 11-6 lead after the first period of play.

She scored the first seven points of the second including a three-point play in the first 30 seconds as the lead went to 18-6 with 4:50 to play in the half.

Tucker's Malaya Jones (0) drives past Chamblee's Mackenzie Cassidy (2). Jones scored 30 points on the way to MVP honors. (Photo by Mark Brock)

Tucker’s Malaya Jones (0) drives past Chamblee’s Mackenzie Cassidy (2). Jones scored 30 points on the way to MVP honors. (Photo by Mark Brock)

Alana Azeta, Brianna Wood and Mackenzie Cassidy each scored baskets in the final 4:37 of the half as Chamblee pulled within 19-12 heading into the break.

Kristan Simmons scored the first four points of the second half and Jones, who had an assist on Simmons opening basket of the third quarter, added two free throws to push the lead out to 25-12 with 3:58 to play in the period.

A basket by Wood broke the run by Tucker, but the Lady Tigers would finish the quarter on an 8-2 run led by two baskets from Kamiah Stanley and three-pointer by Simmons to take a 33-16 lead into the final quarter.

Jones and Serenity Lemon hit back-to-back three-pointers to open the fourth quarter as the lead ballooned to 39-16.

Chamblee put together a 13-0 run led by Sophia Wang who had a three-pointer and two more baskets to close the gap to 39-29 with 1:03 remaining.

Jones closed out the game by hitting six of seven from the free-throw line for the final of 43-32. Jones finished with 30 points and five rebounds while Simmons added eight points and 13 rebounds.

Wang finished with 13 points and five rebounds to lead Chamblee while Alana Azeta added six points and 14 rebounds.

The win was Tucker’s first girls’ championship according to records dating back to 2008.