MARYVILLE – Oh, wow, are these games going to be fun in a few years.
Two Volunteer State teams picked to capture their respective conference championships squared off here Wednesday night in Cooper Athletic Center, and Maryville emerged with a thrilling 79-77 victory over Sewanee.
These once-a-year matchups will double to a home-and-home slate of games when the Scots join the Tigers in the Southern Athletic Association beginning in 2026-27.
It was Maryville's seventh win in a row over their in-state rivals, although six of those games either went to overtime or the margin was single digits. Wednesday also marked the Scots' 21st win in a row at home versus the Tigers, dating to 1980.
Two
Reed Kemp free throws with 17 seconds remaining and one free toss from
Kyle Cloninger with six seconds left proved just enough for the Scots, who evened their record at 1-1. Sewanee is 1-2.
Kemp Scores Another 26
Kemp led all scorers with 26 points, followed by
Jackson Garner with 19 and
Chase Morgan with 16. Kemp has started the season with back-to-back 26-point games. He sank five 3-pointers in this one.
"Winning is hard, so you've got to celebrate it," Maryville head coach
Raul Placeres said. "We got great minutes from our second-team guys there in the middle of the second half, pushing the lead to 10. My big three of Chase, Reed and Jackson – they aren't playing to their capabilities. I know that's tough when you see 26, 19 and 16, but we've got to be more efficient.
"We've got to move the ball. A concerning number is nine assists on 32 made field goals. We typically are 50 percent assists to shots made."
The Scots did attempt 79 field goals for their most in a regulation game since a December 2021 home win over Johnson.
"We haven't found our rhythm on offense yet, but we are playing fast," Placeres said. "When we start shooting better, it's going to be tough to keep us under 80 points."
More Green Thievery
After a 38-38 first half, Maryville's reserve unit helped stretch the lead to 59-49 on a
Jaylon Green steal and fastbreak layup at the 11:21 mark. Green earned the start in this one and added two more steals. He is the early team leader in that category with seven.
Sewanee's veteran squad worked its way back into the game. Fletcher Bigham converted a three-point play to tie the score at 65, and then Bigham struck again on the fastbreak to put the Tigers in front with 5:51 remaining. That capped an 18-6 Sewanee run over the previous 5:30.
Kemp's 3-pointer on the ensuing possession gave Maryville the lead for keeps at 70-69 with 4:47 left and sparked a 9-2 Scots run that pushed the margin to 76-71 nearing the 3-minute mark. Bigham drew the Tigers within 76-75, but Kemp's free throws and the one final conversion by Cloninger proved just enough.
"That's a tough team; that team is picked to win the SAA," Placeres said. "It's not like we are playing slouches. That's a team that has eight seniors. But we held them to 18 percent from three, which is really good. Hopefully, like last year, getting the winning feeling back against Sewanee gets us going."
First-Year Cleans the Glass
Jamal Ware earned his first collegiate start and led all rebounders with nine. Cloninger scored nine points and added seven boards.
"I'm proud of my freshman,
Jamal Ware," Placeres said. "Nine boards. Right now, he's not going to be a guy who gives you a lot of buckets. But he's going to provide some defense, some rebounding. Our two leading rebounders were the freshmen, and they're both guards. Giving us great minutes.
"Hopefully, that's a great confidence boost for Kyle. I didn't think he was going to play today because he sprained his ankle Saturday. But he's tough and he's a winner."
Cloninger says he can play so freely because of the support he receives from his new teammates.
"Coach P, Coach Jeff and everybody on the bench has full confidence in me, and that helps me be the player that I am," Cloninger said. "I've been in that position before (at the free throw line); it's nothing new. We practice it every day, and everyone has full confidence in me.
"We need to improve on the defensive end, for sure. That's something we have been trying to emphasize, just locking in on defense. We know our offense will come. We've got great scorers on this team, great 3-point shooters. If we can lock in on the defensive end, the offensive end will come."
Bigham led Sewanee with 23 points and five blocked shots, Luka Avaliani scored 16 of his 20 in the second half, and Russ Marr added 16 points and three blocks. Sewanee blocked 10 shots in the game.
Off to Ohio
Maryville travels Thursday in preparation for the Marietta Shrine Tournament in Ohio. The Scots take on Mary Washington (1-1) on Friday at 6 p.m., and then play either host Marietta or Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Saturday depending on wins and losses.
Maryville's final home game of 2024 is Tuesday against Berry in a 7 p.m. tip.
Checking the Box Score: Kemp finished 5-of-10 from downtown; the rest of the Scots were 1-of-18. Maryville averaged 14.7 assists last season, but through two games in 2024-25 the Scots are at 9.5. Steals, however, are up from 8.9 to 13.5.
