MARYVILLE, Tenn. — The Maryville men's basketball team added another chapter to a long-standing rivalry Friday night, grinding out a 71–64 victory over Huntingdon inside Cooper Athletic Center to clinch the CCS Regular Season Champions title.
The Scots now own a commanding 53–7 all-time record against the Hawks, continuing decades of success in the series. In the most recent meeting prior to Friday, Maryville saw Chase Morgan explode with 28 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, while Matt Schneider added 24 points and six rebounds and Javi Rosell contributed 12 points in a Scots win.
The rivalry also carries heavy postseason weight. The last time Huntingdon faced Maryville on the Scots' home floor — in last season's CCS Championship — the Hawks escaped with a 93–92 victory in a one-point thriller, a result that made Friday's regular-season title-clinching win even more meaningful.
The victory moves Maryville to 19-4 overall and a perfect 10-0 in CCS play, while Huntingdon falls to 14-9 on the season and 8-3 in conference action.
With the win, Maryville secures the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the conference tournament — and makes program history with its sixth consecutive regular-season title.
Friday's matchup had tension from the opening tip. The contest featured 10 lead changes and eight ties, with neither team able to create separation for much of the night.
Maryville jumped out early behind Rosell and Jamal Ware, building an 11–2 advantage in the opening minutes. The Hawks responded midway through the first half, trimming the deficit and eventually cutting it to two before the Scots carried a narrow 30–26 lead into halftime despite shooting just 28.6 percent from the field.
The second half turned into a battle of toughness.
Huntingdon briefly grabbed their first lead of the game near the 15-minute mark, and the teams traded baskets down the stretch. With just over eight minutes to play, the score sat at 49–46 before the Hawks answered with a push of their own.
From there, Maryville relied on execution, defense, and timely plays.
"It was players being players in the end," head coach Raul Placeres said. "Chase, big buckets, Jack was really clutch there at the end. I think he had four big points. He had a big layup there to go up two, and then he had two clutch free throws."
Morgan finished with a game-high 21 points and nine rebounds while converting 8-of-10 at the free-throw line. Jackson Garner added 10 points, including key late free throws that helped seal the win.
Placeres also credited Ware for his impact beyond the box score.
"Jamal was fantastic," Placeres said. "It's not going to show so much on the stat sheet, but we held that kid [Tyler Mallory] to 4-for-15 from the field for 11 points and six turnovers. The first time we played them, he had 35 points. So for me, that was the thing I was really pleased with."
Ware finished with eight points, five rebounds, and three steals while helping spearhead a defensive effort that limited one of the conference's top offenses to 64 points.
"I don't know many teams that can shoot 34 percent from the field and 15 from three and find a way to win, right?" Placeres said. "But we defended when it mattered. They scored 123 points on Tuesday. We held them to 64. So yeah, we just found a way."
Maryville shot just 33.8 percent from the field and 2-of-13 from beyond the arc, but the Scots dominated the offensive glass with 14 offensive rebounds, leading to 18 second-chance points.
Collin Smith provided a major spark off the bench with six points and eight rebounds — five of them offensive.
"I don't want to be remiss without talking about Collin Smith," Placeres said. "I thought his energy was great. He had six points, eight rebounds, five of those offensive."
Rosell added 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
"Javi getting in there for a guy his size and coming out with rebounds — I thought he was really good today," Placeres said. "Even though he took some shots that I probably didn't want him taking at times, but he had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. It was a pretty good effort from him."
The Scots sealed the game at the free-throw line, finishing 25-of-36 compared to Huntingdon's 10-of-18. Maryville also forced 18 turnovers and converted them into 17 points.
The contest also carried added significance.
"I think it's really special because Lambert is a legend. His name is on the floor," Placeres said. "He only had two runs of five in a row. Nobody's ever had six in a row. It's special."
Maryville has now won six straight regular-season titles despite being picked to win the league each of those years — a target the Scots have learned to handle.
"This time of the year, everybody's gunning for you," Placeres said. "We practiced once this week. We had nine guys sick. We didn't have our normal shootaround. We get ranked again nationally — typically the first game back, somebody clips you. But the really good teams find a way to win a basketball game."
With Senior Night approaching Tuesday, Maryville will look to finish the regular season undefeated in conference play.
"We're fighting for that," Placeres said. "It's a special day on Tuesday as well. Super thrilled for our guys that we found a way tonight. We've got to get better for next week — but we found a way."
The Scots are back in action Tuesday, February 17 at 7:00 PM, hosting Asbury for their final home game of the regular season.
