Demopolis boys basketball outlasts Central-Clay County in AHSAA regionals

BIRMINGHAM — Demopolis boys basketball outlasted Central-Clay County on Friday at the AHSAA regionals at Bill Harris Arena to punch its ticket to the regional final.

The Tigers (17-5) took down the Volunteers 54-44, after a back and forth first half that saw them lead by three at the break. The team's continued to battle in the second half, but it was Demopolis who ended the game on an 13-1 run to claim victory.

"We knew going into the ball game it was going to be a game of runs, and we just had to withstand the runs," Demopolis coach Tony Pittman said. "Our kids were able to do that. We got in a little bit of foul trouble in the first half, but our kids were able to stay focused and stick to the game plan and we were able to get the victory today."

Demopolis's Zamarian Johnson led all scorers with 17 points along with four rebounds and two assists, while teammate Dalyn Jackson added 13 points to go with three assists. The Tigers held the Volunteers to shooting just 27.7% (13-of-47) from the field during the contest.

The Tigers advance to the AHSAA regional final, where they will face Valley on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 10:45 a.m. Demopolis lost to Valley in last year's Sweet 16.

"We remember that feeling (last year)," Pittman said. "They are a great basketball team, they have no weaknesses and we have got to be on our A-game to even have a chance to win. But I love the challenge, we've faced challenges all year and were able to overcome those challenges, so why not one more?"

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Anna Snyder covers high school sports and University of Alabama softball and football recruiting for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com. Follow her on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, @annaesnyder2