Only one player in this week’s state tournament’s 21 previous games had scored 30-plus.
Gibsland-Coleman senior guard De’Avery Durham had more than 40 in the second-half alone Friday afternoon on his way to 48 total to lead his team’s second-half rally and overtime survival of Pleasant Hill.
And though Durham and the No. 1 Bulldogs (29-3) missed opportunities at the foul line to ice the victory in regulation, they had the answers at the line and on defense to edge the No. 2 Eagles (32-8) in the extra period, 84-83, for their first Class C championship since 2022.
“I would like to thank God first for doing this for me,” the game’s MVP beamed on the LHSAA Network postgame broadcast. “Second, wwwooooo, what a journey, man! We did it! Coach (Roger Jones) got on us in the locker room and said we weren’t playing ball like we were supposed to, so we started listening to coach, driving to the goal and finishing. Coach wanted us to finish strong, so we finished strong.”
On a tough 3-point shooting afternoon both individually (2-for-10) and as a team (2-for-18), the senior guard began slicing his way into the lane for athletic finishes and free-throw opportunities.
Durham finished an efficient 15-for-27 (55.6%) from the floor and 16-for-20 (80%) from the line and also led the team with nine rebounds, six steals and an assist.
His 42 points after the break paced the Bulldogs’ 60-point second half overall after trailing, 28-24, at half.
And a backcourt steal in the final 25 seconds of overtime earned his final trip to the foul line where he split the pair to extend the lead to four points, enough to still hold off Pleasant Hill despite a late 3-pointer by sophomore guard Robert Lane Parker.
“You’ve got to have heart, determination. You’ve got to show leadership. You’ve got to show encouragement,” Jones told the LHSAA Network of lessons for his players on navigating such a chaotic back-and-forth battle of a game and second half in particular. “And I’m gonna miss these guys. I started four seniors, and I’m gonna miss ’em. I wish I could have ’em for another year.”
Jones motioned to De’Avery and cousin DeMarquis Durham joining him at the postgame desk among the seniors in the lineup with Deveryuan Moore and Brian Wright.
DeMarquis Durham led the charge early while De’Avery worked out the kinds and found his rhythm.
He finished with 24 points, five rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist — including a steal and long outlet to his cousin a few possessions into overtime for Gibsland-Coleman’s first lead in the extra frame.
And Moore added six rebounds, four steals and a lone basket, pulling up from the foul line to tie the game moments before the Durham-to-Durham go-ahead steal-and-score.
“I want to thank God for this and getting me here and my team supporting me — they helped me,” DeMarquis Durham said. “And my homeboy, he came in in the second half and went crazy. I’ve been waiting for this my whole life, I swear.”
Senior guard Javonte Ford and junior guard Kzirion Holmes led Pleasant Hill with 34 and 27 points, respectively.
Ford was the team’s most-efficient scorer, going 12-for-24 (50%) from the floor and 10-for-11 (90.9%) from the foul line, and also grabbed 11 rebounds.
Holmes had team-highs of 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals to go with his big scoring afternoon.
Parker scored nine points and snatched seven rebounds and two steals.
And junior center Ari Wysinger chipped in seven points, 12 rebounds, four blocked shots, three assists and one steal before fouling out. His rim-protecting presence was missed down the stretch and the Durhams continued to attack.