MANCHESTER – They are one win from a championship.

The Troup Lady Tigers moved to 2-0 in the Meriwether County Holiday Classic with a 59-52 victory over the Manchester Lady Blue Devils on Tuesday

Troup will play in the championship game today at 6:30 p.m. at Manchester High School.

Troup opened its tournament stay with a suspense-free 69-27 victory over Crawford County on Monday.

That win set up a showdown with the host team a day later.

The Lady Tigers surged to a 47-29 lead through three periods, and they withstood a charge by the Lady Blue Devils in the fourth quarter.

Kwynehsia Spence paced Troup with 16 points, and Shaqoya Gilbert, Akhya Mitchell and Kiya Fulton added nine points apiece.

The Lady Tigers took control early, charging to a 12-2 lead after the first quarter, and they were ahead 31-16 at the half.

Troup kept it going in the third period, outscoring Manchester 16-13 to take an 18-point lead into the fourth quarter.

Manchester outscored Troup 23-12 in the fourth quarter to make the final score more respectable.

The Lady Tigers improved to 6-4, and if they win today, they’ll carry a three-game winning streak into their Region 5-AAAA opener on Jan. 5 against Sandy Creek.

Also on Tuesday, the Troup boys’ team was back on the court after beginning its tournament stay with a 54-53 win over Greenville.

The Tigers won that game when Jarrious Jefferson scored at the buzzer to lift his team to the one-point win.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, that momentum didn’t carry over to Tuesday’s game.

Facing Manchester for the second time this season, Troup had a difficult time getting anything going offensively on the way to a 62-45 loss.

Isaac Moss was the only Troup player in double figures with 10 points, and Jefferson added seven points.

The Tigers don’t have a tournament game today, and they’ll bring a 5-5 record into their Region 5-AAAA opener at Sandy Creek on Jan. 5.

Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 or on Twitter @lagrangesports