Demopolis pulls overtime upset of 4A, No. 6 Thomasville

Demopolis found its free throw stroke late Thursday on its way to a 64-60 overtime win against Class 4A No. 6 Thomasville.

“I felt like our guys really wanted that win,” Demopolis coach Rodney Jackson said. “They wanted it for themselves, their families and the City of Demopolis.”

Demopolis only hit five of its 11 free throw attempts in regulation but made the most of its opportunities in overtime, shooting 8-for-10 from the charity stripe in the game’s final four minutes.

“Those guys stepped up with ice water in their veins and made them when they mattered,” Jackson said of his team’s free throw shooting.

Demopolis took its final lead of the game with 2:40 to play in overtime when Demetrius Smith connected on a pair of free throws to put DHS up 56-55. With 1:54 to play, Anthony McIntosh hit one of his two free throw chances to up the advantage to 58-55.

Smith drove the dagger in for Demopolis when he collected the ball to calm a chaotic sequence, drove down the lane and drilled a runner to give DHS a 60-56 lead with 1:12 to play.

In the final minute of the contest, McIntosh and Daitron Fultz each hit a free throw while Smith went 2-for-2 at the stripe on his final trip.

The host Tigers trailed by 13 in the second quarter but scrambled to close the gap to seven when Smith connected on a three off a McIntosh assist in the final minute of the opening half.

The sequence marked a trend of strong finishes to quarters for Demopolis, which punctuated the first quarter with a rebound and put-back by Johnny Carter to cut the deficit to 16-9.

Down 30-23 at half, Demopolis opened the third quarter on a 9-2 run to tie the game at 32.

“We just chipped away. Even though we were down, we were getting good looks and they were hitting everything,” Jackson said. “We just wanted to chip away, get stops and try to contain (Ryan Calhoun).”

A McIntosh free throw with 1:34 left in the third quarter tied it at 37, snapping a 5-0 Thomasville spurt.

Smith gave his team its first lead of the game at 39-37 on the ensuing trip when he popped a runner after Xavier Jowers had a key offensive rebound to keep the possession alive.

Thomasville, which entered the game unbeaten, battled back and tied the game at 43 with 4:58 to play in regulation, ending a 6-0 Demopolis run. McIntosh answered the bell again 27 seconds later when he turned a steal into an And-1 opportunity that left his team up 46-43.

Calhoun, the game’s leading scorer, made an important jumper for Thomasville with 1:35 left to tie the game at 52.

After Demopolis missed a free throw with 57.7 to play, Thomasville looked to hold for the last shot and ultimately retained possession after a wild scramble for a loose ball. Thomasville inbounded the ball with 3.7 to play in the fourth before Charles Tripp stole it to nullify the threat.

Calhoun finished with 26 points and five rebounds for Thomasville (7-1). Adrian Malone added 16 points and seven rebounds. Rashad Mosley had eight points for Thomasville.

Demopolis had four players with double-digit scoring numbers and three with double-digit rebounds.

Smith led the way with 17 points. McIntosh had 13 points and seven rebounds. Tripp finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Josh Moore had 12 points and 13 rebound. Fultz came off the bench with five points and 10 rebounds. Jowers also had seven boards in the game.

Demopolis (7-3) is set to travel to Smiths Station Friday for a tournament that will see it play the winner of Notasulga and SSHS. The tournament, which continues Saturday, also includes Park Crossing, Lafayette and Russell County.