FERRIDAY &8212; Ferriday coach James Davis created a simple checklist for his team to follow in its district showdown against Madison.

Davis&8217; blueprint for success included just three bullet points: rebound well, make free throws and limit turnovers.

While the Trojans didn&8217;t dominate in any of the three categories, Davis simply needed to glance at his team&8217;s free-throw shooting to identify what went wrong in Friday&8217;s 78-62 loss to Madison.

&8220;That&8217;s the difference in the ball game, to be honest. We couldn&8217;t make free throws,&8221; Davis said.

No kidding.

The Trojans made just 18-of-37 free throws &8212; missing 19 from the line in a 16-point loss.

&8220;There&8217;s no good reason for missing free throws,&8221; Ferriday senior Eric Crump said. &8220;I guess we just didn&8217;t focus enough.&8221;

Madison&8217;s constant fullcourt pressure presented enough problems for Ferriday without the free throw shooting woes. The Jaguars harassed Ferriday from the opening tip, forcing the Trojans into turnovers and quick shots all night.

&8220;That&8217;s my style of basketball,&8221; Madison coach Mitch Riggs said. &8220;I believe the defensive intensity is one of the things that we sustained for 32 minutes. We wanted to force them into some mistakes early.&8221;

Ferriday (19-8 overall, 2-1 in District 4-2A) committed more than 20 turnovers, but the Trojans also attacked the pressure when they broke through the press.

Ferriday&8217;s aggressiveness allowed them to get several key Jaguars in foul trouble, while also allowing the Trojans to shoot 29 more free throws than Madison.

The only problem? Ferriday made less than half of its free throws.

On a night when Ferriday was denied its 20th victory and Madison (18-6, 3-0) took a giant step toward securing the regular-season district title, Crump said the loss taught the Trojans a valuable lesson.

&8220;If you don&8217;t come ready to play, you&8217;ll get beat,&8221; he said. &8220;They came in the gym with the mindset that they&8217;re already district champs.&8221;

Davis praised Madison for its aggressive defense, which prevented Ferriday from finding any offensive rhythm.

&8220;If they play like that and force turnovers, they deserve to win,&8221; Davis said. &8220;They put so much pressure on the ball.&8221;

Madison built a 37-28 halftime lead, and the Jaguars thwarted every Ferriday rally with strong post play in the second half.

Madison scored seven baskets on putbacks in the second half, and Darren Cooper added two fourth-quarter dunks.

Crump paced Ferriday with 21 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, and 12 rebounds.

Charles Jefferson added 12 points.

Keith Williams scored 16 of his 22 points in the first half to lead Madison in scoring. Cody Atkins added 15.