22-0 Run Sparks Manhandling of Mountaineers
MARYVILLE – Senior Day Saturday saw all three of Maryville's honored seniors score in double figures as the Scots raced past Berea 89-65.
Myles Rasnick and Kordell Kah tallied 16 points apiece and Charlie Cochran added 10 to help Maryville pull within a half-game of first place in the Collegiate Conference of the South.
Maryville used a 22-0 run that spanned both halves and turned a 27-18 deficit into a 34-27 halftime lead and an eventual 40-27 advantage. Head coach Raul Placeres was especially impressed with how his squad finished the first half, scoring 10 in a row after the under 4 media timeout.
"I reminded them that all year we've been in these moments," Placeres said. "Are we finally at a point where we understand the importance of finishing a half? After that under 4 timeout, we scored 10 straight going into the half. That is locking up defensively and finishing the half the right way."
Maryville came out after intermission and scored the first six to keep the pressure on the Mountaineers, who went scoreless for a combined 9:01. Berea over that stretch was 0-of-9 from the floor and committed four turnovers, accounting for 13 scoreless possessions.
Jackson Garner tallied eight of his 13 points and Myles Rasnick scored six to lead the charge during that 22-0 outburst. Maryville from that point on never allowed their Kentucky visitors to shrink the lead to fewer than nine points.
From One Streak to Another
In fact, when the lead did narrow to nine at 43-34 with 15:22 remaining, the Scots responded with 11 straight points over the next 1:54. Garner's 3-pointer with 13:28 to play made it 54-34 and the margin ballooned from there.
It maxed at 88-55 on a Darius Martin free throw in the final 90 seconds.
"When you put a team in a hole like that, teams take quick shots and you can get some transition baskets," Placeres said. "We did a good job of that for 14 minutes of the second half."
Chase Morgan scored 11 points to finish as the fifth Scot in double figures. Cochran and Rasnick shared rebounding honors with six, and Rasnick was the assist leader with seven. Daryl Rice notched three steals to help the Scots force 18 turnovers and post a 21-6 edge in points-off-turnovers.
CCS scoring leader Trey Minter showed his wares, finishing with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting to pace the Mountaineers. Berea held the lead for 14:25 of the first half before things slipped away.
Seniors Will Be Key
Placeres knows his senior trio will be huge during this upcoming run of road games.
"All three are different, but all three are alike in the sense that we need all three of them to be good in this upcoming stretch," Placeres said. "They all have contributed in their own way to this program.
"This was my first Senior Day win, so that's nice. All three seniors were in double figures today, so they will have a great memory. They played well and helped contribute to the win."
Season-High Crowd at the Coop
A season-high crown of 1,207 was on hand to witness it inside the Cooper Athletic Center. The Scots lead the CCS in average attendance at 623.
"Great crowd again today," Placeres said. "A lot of alums in the crowd, guys who played with me, who played for me and who played before me. I also had a lot of former players from my coaching debut at Gatlinburg-Pittman High School, so it was great seeing them in the crowd.
"We finally got a home winning streak in January, so now let's see how we do on the road."
Maryville at least leaves the Coop on friendly terms. The Scots won consecutive games for the first time this month, improving to 10-8 overall and 4-2 in the CCS. Berea dropped to 11-8 and 3-3.
MC plays next Saturday at Belhaven. The Blazers split on the road this weekend, winning Friday at Piedmont and losing Saturday at Covenant; they are 5-2 in league play. LaGrange sits in first place at 4-1. Maryville plays there Feb. 3.