SALEM, Va. – The Maryville Scots earned a gutsy opening-round victory in the Cregger Invitational with a 70-66 final score against Susquehanna on Sunday afternoon. Maryville has now won a season-high three games in a row, along with four of their last five.
Senior guard
Reed Kemp led all players with 26 points while also contributing seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Kemp shot 66.7 percent from three (4-of-6) and 47 percent from the floor (9-of-19) while playing all but six minutes of the contest.
Kemp is averaging 22.5 points on the season (248 total points scored), which not only leads the team but also leads the CCS in points per game and total points scored. On the season, the senior is shooting 42.2 percent from three and making 2.7 threes per game, good for third and second in the conference, respectively.
Junior forward
Chase Morgan notched 16 points for the Scots while also leading the team with eight rebounds and two blocks. Morgan played 36 minutes and was 7-of-16 from the floor and 1-of-2 from three.
Game Trends
Susquehanna and Maryville traded blows for the greater part of the first half, with neither team gaining a huge advantage. The Scots' biggest lead of the game (5 points) came in the first half just five minutes into the game. Maryville shot 55.6 percent from three in the first half and 80 percent from the free throw stripe.
The Scots' 3-point shooting efficiency kept them in the game throughout the first 20 minutes. Both teams made five threes in the first half, but the River Hawks attempted five more shots behind the arc than the Scots. The River Hawks led at half 39-35.
It was mostly the same style of play by both sides through the first 10 minutes of the second half, with both teams going back and forth. Susquehanna built a 62-52 lead with 8:02 remaining thanks to hot shooting by the Hawks over that stretch. Maryville head coach
Raul Placeres' team locked in on defense over the last seven minutes of the game, only allowing four points on 1-of-6 shooting (and 1-of-7 on their last seven 3-point shots).
The second half looked drastically different statistically for both teams, with Susquehanna shooting only 16.7 percent from three and 2-of-6 from the free throw line. Maryville shot 26.7 percent from three in the half but also made nine free throws, including two late ones with just three seconds left to put the nail in the victory for the Scots.
It was an extremely competitive game throughout. Both teams saw 10 lead changes and a very balanced shooting effort. Maryville's starters stepped up to the challenge, scoring 67 of the team's 70 points.
"We really locked up defensively and got a bunch of stops," Placeres said. "We went on an 18-4 run to end the game. It was all about getting stops and converting on the other end. The guys trusted one another down the stretch and there were some really good offensive possessions of just finding the open man and guys having the courage and confidence to make those shots.
"But it always starts with defense that's what we saw today in those last eight minutes."
This was believed to be the first men's basketball meeting between Maryville and Susquehanna (4-5).
Up next for the Scots, who improved to 7-4 this season, is the Cregger Invitational championship game against Roanoke on Monday at 2 p.m. Roanoke (8-2) defeated Bryn Athyn 103-65 in Monday's first game.
"Monday makes nine of our 12 games at either neutral sites or on the road," Placeres said. "And Roanoke is a really tough team. They are the No. 3 offensive efficiency team in the country and they hit 17 3-pointers on Sunday in a big win. It will be a test for us but we will see what we can do."
