Tuesday, April 23, 2024

THE WEST ALABAMA WATCHMAN

Keeping Watch On Our Community

Sports 

Demopolis puts three in double figures in rout of ALJ

Jeremy D. Smith , , , , , , ,
Kiante` Jeffries led Demopolis with 25 points in Tuesday's 84-55 rout of A.L. Johnson.
Kiante` Jeffries led Demopolis with 25 points in Tuesday’s 84-55 rout of A.L. Johnson.

Demopolis (3-3) saw three players score in double figures Tuesday as its routed A.L. Johnson 84-55.

The Eagles saw Shermon Kennedy drain a pair of triples to open the contest with a 6-0 ALJ run. Demopolis fired back quickly en route to a 17-14 first quarter run. The Tigers posted a 21-15 run in the second frame to carry a 38-29 advantage into the locker room. Demopolis stretched its lead to 15 in the third quarter before pulling away with a 27-13 run in the fourth frame.

Despite the margin of victory, Demopolis coach Rodney Jackson knows his team is nowhere near where it could be.

“My team is not in basketball shape yet. Once we get that down, we think we’ll be a pretty good team toward the end of January,” Jackson said.

All nine Tiger players scored in the contest with Kiante` Jeffries hanging 25 points to lead all scorers. The senior guard added four rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist on the night.

Roderick Davis finished with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. Tyler Perkins contributed 12 points and eight rebounds for the Tigers.

Demopolis got balanced scoring from its role players as Charles Tripp finished with eight points, eight rebounds and six blocks. D.J. Howell had seven points and five rebounds while Datrion Fultz also had seven points.

Jeremy Mitchell drives to the hoop for A.L. Johnson.
Jeremy Mitchell drives to the hoop for A.L. Johnson.

“We’ve got to be balanced for us to be successful. We ended up with three guys in double figures. All nine scored. That was a good thing,” Jackson said. “We felt, offensively, we could get a lot of things and it showed with us scoring 84 points. That was good. It seemed like we are starting to gel together.”

Leo Baker had 12 points and six rebounds to lead the Eagles. Kennedy finished with 11 points and five boards. Ladarius Carr and Jeremy Mitchell each scored eight points in the effort while Charles Edwards had seven.

Demopolis is scheduled to play again Thursday when it travels to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa before ending the week by hosting Linden Friday.

“Hillcrest is just a great team. They’re man-to-man. They’re in your face. It’s going to be tough,” Jackson said. “It’s going to be a hostile environment, a 6A team. It’s going to be a good test for us to see where we stand right here early in the season.”