Lady Tigers topple Linden
Demopolis used a defensive adjustment to buoy 40-29 win over Class 1A No. 5 ranked Linden Friday night. The Lady Tigers held a 26-24 lead at half and erupted out of the locker room with a quick 5-0 run that changed the complexion of the contest.
“We came out flat. It was a very emotional game between two teams. I think we were playing on a lot of emotions and we just came out flat,” Demopolis coach Tony Pittman said of the way his team started the game. “We relied on the jump shot for about five or six possessions. Then we were able to settle down and get into the flow of our offense and were able to do the things that we wanted to do against them.”
Demopolis held a 10-8 after the first quarter of play but saw Amber Richardson’s early nine points help fuel a 12-4 run that handed the Linden a 20-14 lead midway through the second quarter. When Richardson picked up a pair of quick fouls, the complexion of the contest turned.
“She kind of got in foul trouble. They went into that man-to-man,” Linden coach Teressa Bolden said. “We definitely didn’t get the rhythm going. You have to kind of roll with the punches. It’s a different gym, different everything.”
“We were able to pick up the tempo. They got in a little foul trouble and we were able to take advantage of the changed defenses,” Pittman said. “We were able to pick up the tempo and then some of those shots started to fall and we just got into the flow of the game.”
The flow of the game turned significantly in the second quarter as Linden led 20-14 behind an early nine points from Amber Richardson. When Richardson
Both teams ran a significant amount of clock in the third quarter as the Lady Tigers stretched the lead to 31-27. Aniya Johnson and Sylvia Clayton anchored a 9-2 fourth quarter to seal the win.
“Aniya plays well with Sylvia. You have to give the credit to Sylvia. She’s the floor general. She requires a lot of attention,” Pittman said. “And she was able to get Aniya in position to shoot the ball and she was able to knock down some shots tonight.”
Johnson finished the night with 11 points and four steals. Shakesaney Bell had nine points. Sylvia Clayton had six points, eight rebounds and six assists. Samia Jackson added six points for the Lady Tigers.
Richardson had nine points, 11 rebounds and four steals for Linden before fouling out early in the fourth quarter. Tomysha Boykin had nine points. Imiya Agee added seven points.
Linden (16-3) will host Greensboro Saturday. Demopolis (13-5) has played six games in the last two weeks and is set to travel to Central-Tuscaloosa Monday night.
“We’re going to take tomorrow off and come in Sunday with a light walkthrough,” Pittman said. “We know what the other team is going to do that we’re going to play against Monday. It’s just a matter of getting our legs back underneath us, refocusing and going to play.”
