Demopolis basketball scores 49 in second half for first win

BIRMINGHAM — Demopolis basketball (1-1) picked up its first win of the season Monday night, downing Talladega County Central 78-60 in the Cornerstone Thanksgiving Classic.

The Tigers carried a 15-13 lead into the second quarter and led by only one at half before exploding for 24 points in the third quarter to take control of the game.

The Tigers put up 25 more points in the game’s final period to ice the win and advance to the tournament title game where it will face the winner of Trinity and host team Cornerstone Tuesday night.

“We cut down on the turnovers. We went from 27 in game one to 17 in game two. That’s a big difference,” Demopolis assistant coach Stephen Campbell said of the win.

The other major difference for the Tigers n their second outing came at the charity stripe. Demopolis shot only nine of 23 at the free throw line against Selma in the opener. Monday, the Tigers hit 15 of 22 shots from the stripe.

Campbell said he and head coach Rodney Jackson were also encouraged by the way the team attacked the TCC zone defense, opting to go to rim rather than settling for long-distance, low-percentage shots.

“We had a lot of energy. That’s what we’ve got to do,” Campbell said.

Josh Moore led the scoring for Demopolis with 18 points to go along with three rebounds. Charles Tripp added 17 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and three assists.

Datrion Fultz had 13 points and five assists. Anthony McIntosh finished with 12 points and seven assists. Demetrius Smith contributed 11 points in the win.