Tigers coming together
Demopolis head coach Rodney Jackson said chemistry has been key for the Tigers over their recent run in which they have won three of their last four games.
Promoting team chemistry was at the forefront of Jackson’s focus as his team traveled to Dothan last week to compete in the Southeast Alabama Christmas Tournament.
“When we went down to Dothan, what I was trying to accomplish was the team coming closer together. I felt like we accomplished that. It wasn’t just about being on the basketball court. It was about camaraderie, spending time with each other and enjoying each other,” Jackson said. “We started executing, making shots, looking like an aggressive basketball team. Hopefully we’re going to carry that momentum down to the Washington County tournament, which would be very good.”
The Tigers will compete this weekend in the John Taylor Tournament at Washington County High School with the first game of the draw for Demopolis coming at 11:45 a.m. Friday against Southern Choctaw. The Tigers will then play again at either 3:30 p.m. against the loser of the Sweet Water and Citronelle game or at 6 p.m. against the winner of that contest.
Saturday will see the Tigers competing in either a first-place, third-place, fifth-place or seventh-place game.
“I want to continue what we started in Dothan, playing hard, executing, being coachable. I really believe that I’ll get that from them,” Jackson said of his players. “Hopefully the little break doesn’t throw off the chemistry that we’ve built. The last four games, I have really liked the way we’ve played.”
As the calendar readies to turn to 2013, Cortez Lewis is the Tigers’ leading scorer with 11.1 points per game. Tommy Wilson has scored at a clip of 10.1 points per contest. Kiante Jefferies has averaged 8.9 points per game through 11 contests while Rashad Lynch is averaging 8.8.
Following the weekend trio of games in Washington County, the Tigers will play again Jan. 4 when they host area foe Sumter Central High.
“They’re building confidence in my kids. They have confidence in each other. Their chemistry is coming together very well,” Jackson said of where his team is. “If we just keep playing well, hopefully we’ll start hitting that peak about the middle of January going into area tournament time.”