Late Belhaven Rally Clips Scots in Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss. – Belhaven spotted Maryville a 14-point lead and then roared from behind to steal a 78-76 decision Saturday in the Collegiate Conference of the South opener for the Scots.
 
Reed Kemp scored on a driving layup high off the glass to give Maryville a 63-49 cushion with 9:11 remaining. But Belhaven's Jermario Hersey answered on the ensuing Blazers trip, beginning a stretch that saw the home team score on eight of its next nine possessions.
 
Twelve consecutive points capped the resulting 17-2 run and vaulted Belhaven into the lead 66-65 on Hersey's dunk with 4:52 remaining.
 
By the time it was all over, Belhaven had put points on the board on 16 of its final 20 possessions and outscored Maryville 29-13 over the final 8:54.
 
"We've been up double-digits the last two games, but we have to finish," Maryville head coach Raul Placeres said. "We couldn't win or lose the conference championship today, but we sure can learn from a game like this – a game we dominated for 32 minutes."
 
Nearly Another Fantastic Finish
After relinquishing the lead, Maryville fought to the end.
 
Kemp hit a pair of free throws with 3:28 remaining to put the Scots on top 68-66. Then it was Darius Martin's turn with a one-handed floater from just inside the free throw line that tied the score 70-70 with 2:07 showing.
 
Another Kemp drive to the hoop put the Scots in front 72-71 with 1:35 remaining, but Belhaven took the lead for good 74-72 when Judah Jordan answered with a 3-pointer just 10 seconds later. The Blazers stretched that lead to 78-73 on a Jordan Marshall free throw with 6 seconds left.
 
Rice banked in a three with 2 seconds remaining, and then he deflected the ensuing inbounds pass. But after video review, officials ruled that Logan Patterson's miracle 3-pointer that rattled home from 25 feet had left his hands after time expired.
 
"This game was really a lot like last year's game down here," Placeres said. "We had a big lead; they came back and took the lead – the only difference was Daryl Rice hit the winning shot last year and this year the winning shot comes just a split second too late."
 
Fouls Come Home to Roost
Foul trouble hit the Scots at exactly the wrong time. Both R.J. Simmons and Chase Morgan fouled out during the Belhaven blitz, Simmons with 5:23 remaining and Morgan with 4:42. Martin – who earned his first collegiate start and posted career highs of 8 points and 5 rebounds – played with four fouls down the stretch, as did Keith Williams. The first-year Georgia forward finished with 6 points and a team-leading and season-high 7 boards.
 
Maryville combined for nine 3-pointers to Belhaven's three, but the Blazers made up for that by going 27-of-39 from the charity stripe to the Scots' 15-of-22.
 
Kemp scored 34 points for his second 30-point effort this season. The junior guard was 4-of-6 from 3-point distance and 12-of-13 from the line. Jackson Garner was the only other Scot in double figures. He swished a pair of long-range shots early to push the Scots in front 13-2 on his way to 14 first-half points. Garner finished 4-of-8 from downtown.
 
Maryville led 40-31 at the half.
 
The win gained a small measure of revenge for Belhaven after the Scots swept the Blazers in all three meetings last year, including 84-74 in the inaugural CCS championship game. League coaches picked Maryville and Belhaven to finish 1-2 this preseason, and Saturday's thriller seemed to back up those lofty projections.
 
Belhaven stands 9-5 overall and 1-1 in the league, with Maryville at 8-5 and 0-1. Huntingdon at 2-0 is the early leader.
 
Quick Turnaround
The Scots can snap their modest three-game losing streak Tuesday when Berea (6-8, 1-0) visits the Cooper Athletic Center. The women's game tips at 5 p.m., with the men to follow.
 
"I'm really proud of Darius' first start as a collegiate player," Placeres said. "He gave us great energy around the rim. We got an outstanding first half from Jackson, and Reed obviously was really good. We just need to continue to find some type of consistency from our bench. We've got to sort out productive combinations."