HERNANDO — Luther Riley talked in May about bringing championships to Columbus High School when he arrived as the school’s new boys basketball coach.
Pressure defense was just one of the reasons why Riley was able to guide the Provine High boys basketball program to four state titles and a Grand Slam crown in his time at the Jackson power.
But Columbus showed Friday it has another valuable piece and a few more that could bring that championship picture into focus.
Buoyed by a 20-point effort by Chris Deloach and 18 points from Cam Douglas, Columbus hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final 1 minute, 17 seconds to beat Tupelo 51-47 in the championship game of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 2 tournament at Hernando High.
With the win, Columbus (22-5) will receive a first-round bye. It will play the winner of the Madison Central-Greenville-Weston game at 7 p.m. Saturday.
“We went into the game talking about not only playing good, tough defense but being consistent for four quarters,” Riley said. “We had a couple of letdowns here and there. We gave up a couple of threes and we had to drop back into a zone because we were in a little foul trouble, but, for the most part, the guys hung tough and were able to come out with a win.”
Columbus set the tone with defense. Artavious McDyess had a blocked shot, Douglas had a steal for a dunk, and the Falcons forced a turnover on a half-court trap on Tupelo’s first three trips.
While Columbus altered shots with its inside trio of McDyess, Demetrice Clopton, and Jartavius Dobbs, Tupelo tried to stay close with three-point shooting and a five-out offense that tried to take the Falcons’ post players away from the rim.
But the Falcons countered with a pressure defense that at times resembled a pack of sharks in a feeding frenzy. The best example came in the third quarter after Tupelo tied the game at 26. Javontae McDavid had a steal in the press he converted into a layup. The Falcons trapped in the left corner and the senior guard was able to snare a cross-court pass into the lane. Douglas added a layup and Deloach chipped in with two free throws before T.J. Gray made another steal and saved the ball from going out of bounds back to McDavid, who laid it in. Columbus then forced an aggressive trap in the corner in front of the Tupelo bench that forced a timeout call.
“We have to be really aggressive,” Riley said. “Clopton spear-headed it at the top of our press. He is big and agile and can move. Our guards hung tough. I told them to think back to the summer when you had to flip those tractor tires and tote each other and run the track. That is when this pays off.”
Columbus couldn’t sustain the energy on offense, though, as turnovers prevented it from pulling away. Tupelo capitalized with a 3-pointer and an offensive rebound putback to cut the deficit to 38-37 with 5:25 to go.
That’s when Deloach took over. After Riley took a timeout to settle the team, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Deloach, who also was a standout on Randal Montgomery’s football team, scored six-straight points to give the Falcons the separation they needed. He took a pass from Douglas to score on a layup on the first possession, added a score on the block on the second, and hit a jump shot from foul line extended to help push the Falcons’ lead back to 44-37.
If that wasn’t enough, Deloach took a charge on Tre Jenkins for a turnover.
“Chris Deloach is a beast. He is an animal,” Riley said. “He brings the toughness and energy to our team. All my guys say I love Chris so much, but Chris brings something special to our team. He is a very good kid. Whoever is getting him in football is going to have a quality young man.”
Riley said Deloach told him before the game he was ready. The defensive end/tight end responded with a monster game on a night the Falcons needed someone to emerge to offset Tupelo’s ability to contain sophomore Robert Woodard II (four points).
Deloach’s effort was so impressive it made people wonder if he is a football player who plays basketball or a basketball player who plays football.
“I am a football player that plays basketball,” Deloach said. “I just do this to stay in shape.”
Earlier this month, Deloach was one of seven Columbus High football players who signed National Letters of Intent. Deloach will join Cameron Williams at East Central Community College in Decatur. His play helped Columbus mature from a team that won four games into 2014 into one that won eight games and played host to its first home playoff in the history of the program in 2015.
Deloach smiled when asked if he makes jump shots and takes charges in his spare time. He said he doesn’t shoot too much, but he knows Riley wants him to shoot when he is open.
As for taking charges, though, Deloach said he would prefer to be the one bringing the pain rather than absorbing it. He said he is trying to raise his level of play to help the Falcons realize their goal of winning a state title.
“I try not (to take charges), but I will for the team,” Deloach said. “I like charges, but I would rather go up and foul somebody.”
Douglas showed he is playing his part, too, but giving the Falcons another perimeter scorer. His ability to score from distance or create off the dribble works well with whatever guard and forward combination the Falcons use.
“Cam Douglas is so unselfish,” Riley said. “I think he is one of the better guards in our state. … Cam has the ability to do it. He didn’t score as much as I wanted him to down the stretch, but he did it when he had to.”
Douglas said the Falcons showed flashes of being that championship team that was on their mind at the beginning of the season. While he admits Columbus is closer to being the team it wants to be, he admits there is more work to be done.
“Coach wants us to be mentally tough out on the court to control the game,” Douglas said. “We don’t want to be looking over to the bench for him to call plays. We have about eight seniors, so we all need to take control of it and stay focused.”
Douglas hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final stretch. Woodard II and Deloach added two free throws to help set the stage for a home playoff game next week.
Riley, too, feels there is fine-tuning to be done, but he likes the pieces the Falcons showed Friday night.
“A lot of people say defense wins championships, but I think defense and making free throws wins championships,” Riley said. “Even Chris Deloach made a jump shot tonight. Chris was on it tonight. He told me before the game he was ready. He is a dog. I love Chris. I love all our guys, but Chris is a special kid.”
N In other games Friday, the Victory Christian boys basketball team earned a 53-50 victory against Tabernacle to advance to the title game of the Alabama Christian Athletic Association in Oxford, Alabama.
Brady Scarbrough had 19 points to lead the Eagles (23-5). Chase Gore added 16 points, while Montrell Neil had eight.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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