Davis free throws propel Demopolis past Greenville

Demopolis (12-11, 3-3) got clutch free throw shooting from Roderick Davis down the stretch to hold off Greenville 62-59 Friday night.

With 14 seconds to go in the contest, Davis drained a pair of foul shots to give the Tigers a 60-58. Five seconds later, Greenville appeared poised to tie the game with two free throws of their own before the second opportunity caromed off the iron and into the waiting hands of Demopolis forward Demetrius Kemp.

The rebound set a sequence that ultimately sent Davis to the line again where he finished off an 8-for-8 night from the charity stripe to push the lead to 62-59. Cortez Lewis then sealed the game by intercepting Greenville’s inbound pass.

The Tigers trailed by five heading into the game’s final period before active defense created turnovers that fed a suddenly hot-shooting offense and forced Greenville to burn a timeout to regroup. The impromptu strategy session allowed Greenville to regain the lead, an advantage it held for much of the fourth quarter.

With 1:13 to go in the game, Rashad Lynch proved the recipient of a Davis drive-and-dish that allowed the sophomore forward to bank in a one-handed turnaround and knot the game at 57.

D’metric Howell then handed Demopolis a lead with 40.8 seconds left when he converted on a free throw attempt to push the score to 58-57.

An Isaac Slaton free throw with 15.7 seconds left tied the game again for Greenville to set up Davis’ late heroics.

“He has been the staple,” Demopolis head coach Rodney Jackson said of Davis. “Tommy (Wilson) played 32 minutes. Roderick played 30 minutes. They have been the staple of my team.”

The Tigers hung 27 points on the board in the fourth quarter after scoring only 35 in the game’s first three periods.

“Just attack more,” Jackson said of the strategy in the game’s closing frame. “We felt like we had them in foul trouble all night. Just attack.”

Davis led all scorers with 18 points while Tommy Wilson finished with 16 for Demopolis. Lewis added 10 points, six rebounds and five steals.

Kent Riley paced Greenville with 10 points.

The win clinches no worse than the No. 3 seed in the area tournament for the Tigers as they prepare to face Greenville again in the area tournament in two weeks.