Boys: Demopolis 58, Greensboro 44

Demopolis held off a second-half Greensboro rally to earn their second win over the Raiders in a week in Thursday’s action at the Demopolis Classic.

After trailing by as many as 16 points early in the third quarter, Greensboro cut the Demopolis lead to four at 39-35 on Rashad Hobson’s three-pointer with 15 seconds remaining in the period.

But the Tigers scored the first three points of the fourth quarter on a Casey Cantey free throw and a Willie Blount basket, pushing the lead back to seven. The Raiders would get no closer than six the rest of the way as the Demopolis defense held the visitors to only six points in the quarter until a meaningless last-second three.

Demopolis had only one player in double-figures–sophomore forward Casey Cantey, who scored 21–but got at least two points from 9 other players.

Greensboro was led by Adrian Williams’s 11 points. Leading Raider scorer Ivory White scored 10, but was held scoreless until hitting a free throw at the 5 minute mark of the third quarter.

The Raiders jumped out to an 8-2 first quarter lead behind six points from Cedric Harris. But Demopolis closed the quarter on a 12-2 run over the final 3:35 to take a four-point lead, 14-10, into the second quarter.

The Tigers would then go into the break up 29-15 after holding Greensboro to only two second-quarter field goals and getting six points in the period from Dontrell Miller, including a basket in the final 10 seconds to push the lead to 14.

Cantey’s 21 points for Demopolis was followed by 9 from Miller, 6 from Blount, 5 from Brian Taylor and Patrick Robertson, 3 from Brad Braxton and Brian Burrell, and 2 from Collins Espy, Willie Gracey, and MacArthur Johnson.

Following Williams and White for Greensboro were Demarquelle Tabb with 7, Harris with 6, Lloyd Hambright with 4, Hobson with 3, Michael Wiggins with 2, and Calvin Skipper with 1.

Greensboro will face Sunshine Friday night as part of the second night of the Demopolis Classic while Demopolis will play John Essex.

Girls: Greensboro 44, Demopolis 41, OT

The Greensboro Lady Raiders scored five points in the final 35 seconds of overtime to win a back-and-forth thriller over Demopolis at the Demopolis Classic Thursday night.

A Sabrina Hurns free throw with 45 seconds remaining tied the game for Greensboro at 39, but Demopolis broke the Lady Raider pressure and got a fast break basket from Kelli Johnson to retake the lead at 41-39 only five seconds later.

But Greensboro responded, first with two free throws from Kara Johnson and then with a drive into the lane by Vanessa Rhodes that gave the Lady Raiders a 43-41 lead with 20 seconds remaining.

On Demopolis’s possession a pass into the post intended for Alesha Arnold was intercepted by Greensboro’s Brittney Skipper, and Jacques Winn hit two free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Greensboro had had the opportunity to win the game in regulation after a Shondrille Tabb basket with 57 seconds left in regulation gave the Lady Raiders a 37-35 lead and Demopolis could not convert on either of their next two possessions. But Kara Johnson missed a pair of free throws with just under 30 seconds left and Demopolis’s Katerria Johnson forced a jumpball on Greensboro’s next possession, giving Demopolis one last chance.

This time they took advantage as Shawnese Armstead drove the left baseline and scored with 12 seconds remaining. A charging call with 3.1 seconds left gave Demopolis their own opportunity to take the game, but Jasmine Simmons’s 12-foot jumper was just off the mark and the teams went into overtime.

A Valissa Sams basket for Demopolis with 3:06 left was the only scoring in the extra period until a Tabb free throw with just over a minute remaining cut the lead to 39-38 and set up the final frantic seconds.

Neither team was able to seize control of the game through a tight, defensive-minded first three quarters. Greensboro led 10-4 after one thanks to back-to-back Kara Johnson buckets that started the game on a 6-0 Lady Raider run. Demopolis clamped down on the Greensboro offense in the second quarter, though, and surged ahead 15-12 on an Arnold basket with 1:30 left in the half.

The Lady Raiders responded by scoring the final four points of the half to go up one at the break, 16-15. Neither team was able to take a lead larger than three points in a see-saw third quarter and Greensboro led by one again, 28-27, entering the fourth.

Leading the way for the Lady Raiders was Skipper, who scored 11. Johnson finished with 10, Rhodes with 8, Winn with 6, and Tabb and Hurns with 5 each.

Katerria Johnson and Kierra Plaskett each scored 10 to lead Demopolis. Sams finished with 6, Armstead and Simmons with 5, Kelli Johnson with 3, and Arnold with 2.

Demopolis, now 5-3 on the season, will look to end their two-game slide against John Essex Friday. Greensboro’s girls will now wait to take on Francis Marion Jan. 2.

Boys, Girls: Keith 74, John Essex 58; Keith 64, John Essex 15

It was a tough afternoon for John Essex fans as both Hornet teams fell to Keith at the Demopolis Classic.

After falling behind 21-14 at the end of the first quarter, the Essex boys fought back and trailed by three, 35-32, at the half. But the fast pace of the game favored the deeper Bears and despite a Demetrius Branch bucket a the buzzer that closed a double-digit Keith lead to 50-44 after three, the Hornets could not keep up in the final period.

Keith Collier led the Hornets in scoring with 18.

Nyeisha Daniels was the high scorer for the Lady Hornets.

Both teams will square off with host Demopolis Friday night.