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The Demopolis Tigers and Bibb County Choctaws were knotted up in a defensive battle for the first half of a key 5A Region 3 contest, but the second half opened up and late dramatics resulted in DHS suffering a rare region loss, 13-12.

After the defensive first half, Demopolis got things going in the second half after a Bibb County punt gave the Tigers favorable field position at mid-field. After driving to the 27-yard line, quarterback Peyton Stevenson found Jaqualon Smith for the first score of the game. The point-after attempt was no good, but DHS had a 6-0 lead.

Demopolis would increase its lead almost immediately as Bibb County fumbled the ball and senior C.J. Williams picked it up and returned the ball about 30 yards for the score. A two-point conversion attempt failed as Demopolis held on to a 12-0 lead midway through the third quarter.

But, the fourth quarter was owned by Bibb County. Choctaw runningback Deshun Murrell, who slashed the Demopolis defense for almost 200 yards on the night, got Bibb County on the board with a 21-yard touchdown run early in the quarter. The touchdown was the first scored this season against the Demopolis defense.

Demopolis, looking to get momentum back on their side on the next possession, turned the ball over with an interception returned to the Tiger 40-yard line.

The DHS defense stood its ground on the following series, forcing a turnover on downs with 5:28 to go in the game.

Demopolis failed to produce much on its possession and was forced to punt.

With time edging toward the 2-minute mark, the Demopolis defense once again forced the Choctaws into a fourth down try. Bibb County ran a fake toss sweep, finding an open receiver downfield for the score. The point-after was no good, but Bibb County now led 13-12.

The Tigers’ chance to retake the lead ended quickly as the first play resulted in an interception.

With the loss, Demopolis is 2-1 on the season and 0-1 in region play. They will look to even their region record when the host Marbury next Friday night for homecoming. Kickoff is 7 p.m.