Demopolis succumbs to late Selma surge

Demopolis (8-17) came within seconds of snapping its losing streak Friday night before clutch free throw shooting put Selma over the top with a 52-47 win.

The Tigers led all night long, getting their final points of the night with 1:57 to play when Trey Haskins hit Tripp Perry on the left block for a layup to put Demopolis up 47-44.

From there, Selma continued to work its way to the free throw line. Kahmaul Jones nailed a pair of free throws to cut the Saint deficit to 47-46. Jones gave his team the lead with 46.5 to play when he hit two more free throws for a 48-47 Selma lead.

Demopolis failed to cash in on its ensuing possession, leaving itself in a position where it had to foul. Aderick Moore knocked down one free throw to stretch it to 49-47.

Dexter Hatcher then made it 50-47 with another free throw. Moore went on to hit two more free throws to ice the win.

Demoplis led 9-6 after the first quarter before stretching the lead to 23-19 by half. Demopolis led by as many as 10 points, grabbing a 37-27 advantage in the third quarter when Demetrius Kemp crossed over on a drive and took off from just inside the free throw line before finished with a one-handed slam that brought the home crowd to life.

The Tigers upped the lead to 40-32 by the end of the third quarter before a 20-7 Selma run capped the game.

The loss was the 12th in the last 13 games for the Tigers, who have scuffled since a 7-5 start to the season.

Roderick Davis led Demopolis with 15 points and six rebounds. Charles Tripp added 10 points and five rebounds. Kemp finished nine points and 13 rebounds to go along with three assists and three blocked shots, all of which came on Selma dunk attempts.

Jones led Selma with 16 points and six rebounds. Ford added 15 points while Moore had a team high 13 rebounds.

Demopolis is set to play again Saturday night when it travels to Linden for its regular season finale.