DEMOREST, Ga. — The Maryville men's basketball team completed a historic regular season Saturday afternoon, holding off a late rally to defeat Piedmont University 86–84 inside Cave Arena and finish unbeaten in Collegiate Conference of the South play.
The Scots improve to 21-4 overall and a perfect 12-0 in conference action, marking the program's first undefeated league campaign since 2008-09 and its highest regular-season win total since that same year.
"I'm so proud of our guys," head coach Raul Placeres said. "Going 12-0 in this league, with all the travel that takes place, is really difficult. It's a remarkable feat."
Maryville led 44–37 at halftime and pushed the advantage to 13 midway through the second half before Piedmont — fighting for a conference tournament berth on Senior Day — delivered its best punch. The Lions erased nearly the entire deficit in the final minutes, trimming the lead to one with 26 seconds left and having multiple looks in the closing seconds.
"A team playing with desperation is always very difficult to beat on the road," Placeres said. "It was their senior night. They had to win to get into the tournament. We knew we were going to get their very best. But we found a way."
Chase Morgan once again set the tone, finishing with a game-high 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 2-for-2 from three, while adding eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
"Chase set the tone from the beginning," Placeres said.
Jamal Ware delivered a milestone performance with 15 points and 10 rebounds for his second career double-double, adding two blocks and two steals. Matt Schneider added 10 points, while Jackson Garner knocked down two critical three-pointers and dished out five assists. Garner has secured his name in the record books once again, now sitting second all-time in made three-pointers.
The bench proved decisive in stretches. R.J. Simmons was electric in limited minutes, pouring in nine points and grabbing five rebounds in just nine minutes of action. Collin Smith buried two timely three-pointers as part of an eight-point effort.
"RJ was phenomenal today," Placeres said. "In 10 minutes, he had nine points and five rebounds. Jamal had a double-double. Matt was in double figures. Collin hit two big-time threes. We had a lot of guys contribute in different ways."
Maryville shot 55.4 percent from the field and 9-of-16 from beyond the arc, countering 28 fast-break points from the Lions. The Scots built separation with execution and efficiency but had to withstand a late flurry that cut a 12-point lead down to a single possession.
The win also adds to Maryville's dominance in conference play. The Scots now sit at 44-4 all-time in CCS regular-season games and 23-1 on the road during their four seasons in the league.
"To win over 80 percent of our games while getting everyone's best punch — being nationally ranked or getting votes all year long — there's a lot of pressure that comes with that," Placeres said. "Nobody looks at the schedule and says they're not going to go at it against Maryville. We don't have nights off."
That resilience defined the season. The Scots lost reigning league Rookie of the Year Kyle Cloninger just two minutes into the opener and later navigated an early six-to-seven-game stretch without key contributor Ware, yet never wavered.
"Our resilience as a group," Placeres said. "Everyone plays a part in us being as focused and as tough as we've been all year."
With the regular-season title secured, Maryville now turns its attention to the CCS Tournament semifinals Friday, where the Scots will face the winner of LaGrange and Asbury for a spot in the championship.
"We set out to win the regular-season title," Placeres said. "Now we get 40 minutes on Friday. That's the most important week of the season."
With the Scots set to host in the CCS Tournament semifinals Friday and championship on Saturday, fans are encouraged to secure their seats early. Tickets will be available online through the Maryville athletics website, and a strong crowd inside Cooper Athletic Center is expected as Maryville begins its postseason run.
