Demopolis varsity falls to Northview in opener

OZARK — Demopolis High (0-1) opened its season with a loss to Northview Monday evening, falling 65-51 to the Class 6A Cougars.

“You want to come and win your first game, but the goal in high school is that you’re really focused on playing well at the end of January,” Demopolis coach Rodney Jackson said of his team. “You just want to get better every game. You try to stay positive and you keep working them.”

The Tigers opened the game on a hot streak, taking a 20-16 lead out of the first quarter.

“We were knocking the three down. We hit four threes in the first quarter,” Jackson said. “It is the first game. We had a little bounce in our step and we were knocking some shots in.”

The Tiger shooting turned cold and turnovers became an issue as the game wore on. Northview took a 36-30 lead into the locker room at halftime and pulled away in the final 16 minutes.

“We ended up attempting 25 threes. We were 7-for-25. We kind of fell in love with the three,” Jackson said. “I’ll give Northview credit. They were big and athletic. I think we had a little jitters. We had 22 turnovers and you’re not going to beat anybody with 22 turnovers.”

D.J. Howell led the Tigers with 11 points. Kiante Jeffries and Roderick Davis added 10 each while Tyler Perkins finished with 9.

Billy Ford led Northview with 12 points while Terrell Harris had 10.

“As long as we keep playing hard, we’ll be fine. We’ll be a better team when we get back,” Jackson said.

Demopolis is set to continue play in the Carroll Thanksgiving Tournament Tuesday when it faces the loser of Dothan and Barbour County at 5:30 p.m.