Sam Doughty had plenty of reasons to lose confidence.
Whether it was lackluster free-throw shooting or the fact his Columbus High School boys basketball team was trying anything and everything to win its first game of the season, Doughty didn”t lose focus.
He also didn”t think about the five free throws he missed earlier in the quarter that could have made things easier on the Falcons.
That focus helped Doughty, a senior center, take a pass from Derrick Coleman in the waning second and convert a basket that proved to be the final push Columbus needed to beat Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Central 51-49 on Saturday at the 14th annual Joe Horne Christmas Classic.
“It felt great,” Doughty said of getting the win. “Our win tonight was a turning point. We”re going to keep on winning and keep playing hard.”
Deontae Jones led Columbus (1-10) with 17 points, while Derrick Coleman added eight points. Doughty played a strong game down low, while Zakeem Thomas and C.J. Scott controlled matters at the point, even though there were plenty of hairy moments breaking Tuscaloosa Central”s pressure defense.
Through it all, though, Columbus coach Sammy Smith never doubted his players. Smith, with his tie loosened and his dress shirt unbuttoned, slid on the court in front of the Columbus bench after Doughty missed a scoring chance with less than 20 seconds later. He stayed in a crouch for several seconds contemplating the thought the Falcons might drop another close ballgame. His countenance tightened a little more after Doughty missed two more free throws to leave the door open.
Tuscaloosa Central threatened to blow the door down with a 3-pointer with 12.1 seconds remaining that cut the lead to 49-46.
But Smith stayed with his players, believed, and was rewarded.
“I didn”t get on the players too much because I knew I was going to need them down the stretch,” Smith said. “You saw that three-point play won the game for us. I had to stay the course. I couldn”t ride the kids. I had to keep it as positive as I could.”
Smith praised his players for bouncing back one day after losing to Marion (Ark.) 68-43 in the final game of the first day of the event. Columbus played hard but couldn”t overcome its own mistakes and its lack of offensive firepower, as Emmanuel Rogers and Coleman led the Falcons with 10 points each. Jones and Thomas had six apiece.
On Saturday, Columbus played even harder. The results, especially in the second quarter, were anything like what you would have expected from a team that was 0-10. Jones and Rogers each had four points in a 10-2 run that helped Columbus build a 28-17 lead with 31.6 seconds to play in the first half.
“We”re staying with it,” Smith said. “They”re not getting down on themselves. Our motto is don”t get good, get better. Once you think you have gotten good it is over. We got better tonight, but we have to keep fighting and I have to stay on them. At the same time I have to understand they”re babies and I will have to stick with them.”
But the Falcons couldn”t stand prosperity.
Turnovers allowed Tuscaloosa Central to creep back into the game. The guests then used their full-court pressure defense to force three turnovers and trigger a 13-2 run in a span of 3 minutes, 1 second that helped them take a 39-38 advantage.
Still, the Falcons didn”t die.
Thomas hit two free throws and then made a steal and converted a layup to give Columbus a 42-39 lead at the end of the three quarters. Tuscaloosa Central threatened that lead but never climbed all of the way back, thanks in part to Doughty, who answered the call on his final shot attempt from the field.
Smith thanked everyone who assisted in helping to make the 14th annual classic a success. Like he said Thursday when he and his players were at the Food Giant in Columbus to give away $150 worth of gift cards, Smith said the annual event celebrates the holidays and the spirit of giving. He hopes his players will continue to set the example and to be positive role models the community can admire.
In other games Saturday, the Midfield (Ala.) boys beat East Webster 70-46, the Jim Hill girls defeated Tuscaloosa (Ala.) Central 76-50, the Newton boys beat Holt (Ala.) 62-59, the Starkville girls defeated Forest Hill 61-48, the Overton (Tenn.) boys beat Marion (Ark.) 69-64, and the Carver (Ala.) boys defeated Callaway 59-46.
In other games Friday, the Meridian girls beat Noxubee County 61-37, the Meridian boys defeated Overton (Tenn.) 91-47, the Brandon girls beat Starkville 50-45, and the Brandon boys defeated Noxubee County 62-60.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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