Williams drops 41 in Demopolis win over Keith
Shakari Williams dazzled from buzzer to buzzer Tuesday night as the 6-5 forward connected on a plethora of drives, pull-up jumpers and three-point strokes for a 41-point showcase. The outing led Demopolis to an 81-66 win over Keith and was the first 40-point game by a Demopolis player since Casey Cantey put up 42 in 2008.
In reflecting upon the effort, Demopolis coach Ashley Allen pointed to the team’s execution of the offensive system as key in Williams’s career high.
“I’ve told the guys since I got here that I’m a defensive guy, but the offense I’ve put in everywhere else has been successful and we’ve scored 70-something points a game. I’ve only been coaching them for about 37 or 38 games and I think it’s just now starting to click. Shakari knows he has to carry us and as long as Nelson is doing what he is supposed to do, we have that inside-outside threat,” Allen said. “He has to drive. He can shoot the ball. And we have Nelson down low. We also have the (Birl) twins who can shoot and now we have Melvin (Childers) and Taylore Herelle who can shoot and be effective from the outside. I told them as long as they stay in the flow of the offense, it’ll work.”
Looking to avenge a 59-49 Jan. 10 loss to Keith, the Tigers started hot, allowing its defense to create offense on the way to a 15-7 first quarter lead. By half, the Tigers were up 33-28 and Williams had already posted 17 points.
Keith charged out of the locker room on a 7-0 to erase what had been a 10-point deficit when Tyre Webster fed Arayvion Jones who drained a three to put the Bears up 35-33 for their first lead of the contest.
Demopolis wasted no time taking the lead back as the intermission apparently did little to cool Williams’s hot hand. He connected on three shots from deep in the frame and posted a total of 18 points in the quarter to help the Tigers to a 59-42 lead through the first 24 minutes.
Undaunted, Keith battled back again to close the lead to single digits. Webster connected on a drive with 5:36 to go to narrow the deficit to 64-56. Allen then sent his starting five back onto the floor to lock down the win.
Williams snagged eight rebounds in addition to his 41-point effort. Melvin Childers added 11 points including a half-court heave at the final buzzer that accounted for the final points of the night. Malik Moore and Darius Birl scored eight points apiece. Nelson Haskin had a double-double with 12 rebounds and 12 blocked shots to go along with three assists and five steals.
“We can gamble a little more on defense because we know we’ve got somebody under the board that’s going to stop people,” Allen said of Haskin. “He’s going to affect your shot. If he doesn’t block it, he’s going to change it. That’s exactly what I want him to do.”
Jimmie Powell led Keith with 16 points. Webster had 15 while Justyn Pettway finished with 12 points, five rebounds and five assists. Jones scored 11 points.
Demopolis (7-9, 0-3) is set to host Selma Thursday.