PHOTO CREDIT: Kate Eldred
MARYVILLE - When the hand is hot, you keep feeding it. Maryville shot 58.5% from the field, and 45.5% from three in their 84-74 victory Saturday night over LaGrange.
After going down five to nil in the first two minutes of the game, MC stormed back tying the game up 5-5 and then eventually taking the 7-5 lead at the 5:43 mark, and never looked back, leading the rest of the game. The closest the game got after that point was 5 points with 3:07 to go in the third quarter, before going back up 13 to end the quarter.
"The first half was the most complete half we have played all year long both offensively and defensively." Coach
Darrin Travillian noted.
"We had a couple of silly turnovers, and a few more made free throws could have helped us, but we did what we needed to do to win the game".
For the second straight game, the Scots shot above 40% from behind the arc, the first time they've accomplished that this season. 31-53 (58.5%) is the second-highest shooting percentage this season for the team as well, topped only by the 58.7% against Warren Wilson.
Ella Haney was on fire during the first half, scoring a team-high 10 points in the first quarter, and eight in the second quarter to total 18 first-half points along with five rebounds. Equally as En Fuego was
Ella Tharpe who notched up 10 points in each half, along with five assists in the first half and four in the second. With that mark, she has now scored in double digits in eight of the last nine games. She also tacked on six rebounds. Kadece Stoner scored 11 in the second half to complement the other two's first-half high marks.
84 points mark the team's second-highest total on the year, scoring their second-most three-pointers with five. Maryville's 28 assists mark the highest total for the team since having 30 against Wesleyan on Feb. 10, 2022.
Currently, the Scots rank first in the conference in team defense, allowing only 61.6 points per game. They also lead the conference in team FG%, shooting 39.9%. They also own the top three shooting % games this year in the CCS, with this game second only to the aforementioned game against Warren Wilson.
"We were up by nine with three minutes to go, the same place we were down there and lost. Today we added a point and won by 10. That is the growth we need."
Maryville improves to 8-4 in CCS play and 9-12 overall. They are still tied for third place in the conference with Belhaven. Up next for the Scots is a road trip to first place Asbury (11-1, 14-7 overall) on Tuesday before coming back home for Senior Night next Saturday against Agnes Scott. The regular season is winding down, and Maryville has positioned itself in a good spot for post-season competition, having won seven of its last nine games and is improving with each game.
