Demons lose in overtime at Jonesboro in playoff-like primer

With the game tied at 49, the Warner Robins Demons had a little under five seconds to put the finishing touches on a come-from-behind effort at Jonesboro Tuesday. Demons sophomore guard Julius King, Jr. pulled up from 15 feet and let it fly. The shot missed and the game was headed into overtime. King would hit a three-pointer to give his team an early 52-49 lead in overtime but that successful shot came too late as the Cardinals had new life and used that gift to win the game 55-52. Though a non-region game and not necessarily important to either team’s big picture at the moment, the victory puts Jonesboro (15-7 overall) in good position to have home court advantage should the teams meet again in the state tournament next month.

In a playoff-like atmosphere inside of the Cardinals brand new gym, the Demons can take a lot away from this game, three-point loss aside. “Tonight was a learning experience for us, we’ll learn from it and hopefully we’ll get better from it,” said Demons head coach Jamaal Garman after the game. “That’s all we can do. You have to execute every single possession, there’s no possession where you can think you’ve got it made.” 

The Cardinals didn’t waste a single possession during the first quarter of the game, going ahead 11-7 courtesy of a pair of three-pointers by senior guard Quinn Thomas. Thomas would hit six for the game, at least one in each quarter, and led all scorers with 21 points. The slow start isn’t anything new to this Demons team and neither is the ability to pull together a big quarter when necessary. Warner Robins pulled within five points, 20-15, with four minutes remaining in the half following a dunk by junior Keshun Houser (who scored a team-high 15 points before fouling out midway through the fourth quarter). Jonesboro would go on a 10-2 run to advance their lead to 28-17 and end the half with another three-pointer, this time at the buzzer, by Thomas. So if we’re keeping count that’s four three-pointers for Thomas and just two for the Demons after a half of basketball.

Down by 12 points Warner Robins began to show why they are one of the favorites to make a deep playoff run in AAAAA state tournament closing in on Jonesboro. Demons junior forward Greg Jones didn’t start tonight but he finished, scoring when Warner Robins needed points, rebounding when they need toughness and second-chance possessions. “He’s always around the ball and has a nose for the ball, he’s pretty much the leader on our team,” said Garman of the 6 foot, three inch swingman. Jones scored consecutive baskets to cut the cardinals lead to seven points. A pair of free throws from junior Kevin Barnes brought Warner Robins even closer at 36-33 before Thomas hit yet another buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the third quarter and keep Jonesboro ahead 39-33. 

The fourth quarter had a determined Demons team and much-improved press get the Cardinals into a shootout and away from their patient offensive sets. The result was easy baskets for the Demons and a five-point Demons deficit following a pair of free throws from Houser. “There were times tonight we got away from sharing the basketball and we tried to go one-on-one and we are not good like that,” said longtime Cardinals head coach Dan Maehlman. “Warner Robins always plays hard, they are fundamental, they play disciplined and I knew it was going to be a war,” said longtime Cardinals head coach Dan Maehlman after the game. “Coach Garman does a great job and they are a great team.”

Houser would score his final points of the game on a drive that cut the Jonesboro lead to 48-44. In and out of the game during the second half due to foul trouble, Garman went to King to steady things at the lead guard position and got much more. King came off the bench to give the Demons a lift. “That’s his thing, he comes off the bench to slow us down and can knock down some big shots too,” said Garman. Down by two with 22 second remaining in regulation, senior forward Anthony Dillard tied the game on a post move, putting a cap on a Demons 7-1 run. 

It may not have been an actual playoff game but it felt like one. “That was a heck of a game, that was a playoff game, or it could be in the first round but I hope it’s not,” said Maehlman with a laugh. “I don’t want to play them in the first round.”

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