MARYVILLE, Tenn. -- Maryville closed out the Renasant Bank Classic with a surging second half, overcoming an early deficit to defeat East Texas Baptist 76-63 on Saturday afternoon inside Cooper Athletic Center. The win pushes the Scots to 9-2 heading into holiday break - their best pre-Christmas mark under Head Coach
Raul Placeres since the 2021-22 season.
Placeres said he was pleased with how his team responded after ETBU built an early double-digit lead. "It was two halves today. I give them credit - I thought they came out with great energy. I didn't think we had bad energy; they just made some difficult shots, got ahead early, and that happens in the game of basketball."Â
He added, "We just chipped at it little by little, and to be down just one possession at the end of the half, I was really pleased. It could have been a lot uglier... but we took the right approach after that tough start."
The afternoon also featured a major program milestone: Senior guard
Jackson Garner became the 38th player in Maryville history to reach 1,000 career points, finishing with the exact eight points he needed to hit the mark. "I'm really happy for him... there's less than 40 guys in the history of this program to amount to 1,000 points, so I'm really proud and happy for him," Placeres said. He added, "Me and him have a really good relationship... I've recruited him since his junior year of high school. We've been through some battles, and I can push him to the nth degree. Coming off his ACL surgery last year, man, I'm so proud of him."
Chase Morgan led Maryville with 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks, capping a dominant weekend that earned him Renasant Bank Classic MVP honors. "Chase, obviously the classic MVP... he had 31 last night and 23 and seven today, just very efficient. He's one of the best big men in the country, and I'm really proud of him."
Matt Schneider, who finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, was also named to the All-Tournament Team. "Really proud of Matt for bouncing back. He didn't play the way we knew he could yesterday, so I sent him a little text to remind him he's a very good player... and he did just that."
The Scots used a 42-26 second-half advantage to flip the game, shooting 52.9 percent from the field while holding ETBU to just 31.2 percent over the final 20 minutes. Maryville attacked the paint relentlessly, winning that battle 42-30, and turned 12 Tiger turnovers into 17 points.
The Tigers opened the afternoon with confidence, hitting contested jumpers and a pair of early threes to build a double-digit lead. ETBU extended its lead to 13 before Maryville found its footing. Schneider knocked down a mid-range jumper, Morgan converted inside, and
Javi Rosell fed
R.J. Simmons in transition as the Scots slowly chipped away. Over the final seven minutes of the half, Maryville held the Tigers to just six points. A late Schneider finish and a Rosell-to-Morgan connection tightened the margin, and Maryville entered halftime trailing only 37-34, despite shooting just 39 percent in the opening period.
Maryville wasted no time flipping the script. Rosell opened the half with a driving layup, and on the next possession Schneider scored through contact to give the Scots their first lead of the day at 38–37. The building erupted moments later when Schneider drilled back-to-back threes, stretching the Maryville lead to seven.Garner added a three from the right wing, then Morgan punctuated the run with two strong inside finishes and a transition dunk created by Green's lead pass. What had been a 13-point deficit became a 10-point Maryville advantage in less than eight minutes.The Scots never trailed again.
Placeres praised several key contributors in the supporting cast. "
Jaylon Green gave us great minutes off the bench again with his energy. Javi was really good today - seven points and five assists. Our freshman Jett continues to do some nice things, and R.J. was perfect from the field with seven points and four rebounds. The rebounds he got in the second half inspired us - he was getting after it."
Placeres said the team now turns its attention to finals week and a challenging holiday break slate. "It's really hard with the D3 model... they're in finals this upcoming week, then they go home for 11 or 12 days, which they need, and then we get back to work on the 26th. We play a top-15 team in Hampden-Sydney, and Bates is undefeated." He added, "We're two possessions from being 11-0. I'm super proud of this team and where we're at right now."
Maryville returns after the holiday break on December 29th, facing #8 Hampden-Sydney in Atlanta at the Emory Holiday Classic.Â
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