Douglass' bench keys berth in Class A semifinals
MURFREESBORO — A lot of coaches would be angry if one of their players suddenly started hoisting 25-footers in the second half of a close state tournament game. Not Douglass' Greg Williams.
In fact, his attitude toward senior Michael James is quite the contrary.
"I get mad at him if he doesn't shoot it," Williams said, laughing.
The Red Devils — who are playing in the state tournament for the first time in school history — will take on North Greene at 1:15 p.m. Friday for the right to play in Saturday's Class A championship game.
But they wouldn't have had the chance without James. The senior came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, all from a distance that Steph Curry would have thought twice about, and helped get the Red Devils (31-1) over the hump in a game in which they struggled against a less-talented Clay County squad before winning 70-67 on Wednesday.
"As long as I have the open shot, I can shoot it," James said. "As long as it's in the flow of the offense. It's confidence. My teammates have a lot of confidence in me that I'll make my shots."
James' contribution as a substitute was vital, but not unexpected. With a roster that can legitimately go 10 or 11 deep without any dropoff, the Red Devils aren't likely to be bested in a battle of the benches.
"We can play everybody on our bench, and every second they play is important," Williams said. "We're not afraid to play our bench. They come to practice every day, work hard, understand what we're doing.
"And when one of our players is not responding or can't do anything, I'm not afraid to go to these guys. All year long, the bench has been a main factor in our success."
The Red Devils have had a lot of that this season. With previously undefeated Murfreesboro Blackman losing to East in the Class AAA quarterfinals Wednesday, Douglass now boasts the longest winning streak in the state. It was 2-1 after a loss to Cordova on Dec. 1 but has reeled off 29 wins in a row, including 23 by double-figures.
Not that Williams is counting. For him and his team, the only number that matters right now is two: the number of victories needed to put the first gold ball in the school's trophy case.
"I had no idea," Williams said when told his team had won that many in a row. "I haven't been keeping up with it. Our goal from the start ... we felt like we had the team to win it all. And every team that's in front of us, that's a team that's trying to stop us from reaching our goal."
Reach John Varlas at john.varlas@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @johnvarlas.