Maryville Roars into CCS Championship Game 92-68
MARYVILLE – You should have seen the other guy!
Chase Morgan emerged all battered and bruised from Friday night's Collegiate Conference of the South tournament semifinal game against LaGrange. But it was the Panthers who took the brunt of the punishment as Morgan poured in 28 points here Friday night to lead the Scots to a 92-68 thrashing.
Twice the big sophomore forward left the game for treatment after some rough and tumbling around the basket. But Morgan seemed to return with even more energy and determination both times, finishing 8-of-12 from the field and 11-of-12 at the line. He also swished one of his two 3-point tries as the crowd roared its approval.
"They told me to come out and be aggressive, and I try to listen; I try to be aggressive," Morgan said. "I try to attack weak defenders and I kick out to my guys when they double."
Morgan's point total was the second-highest of his career, topped only by the 31 he scored at LaGrange back on Jan. 13 in a 99-84 victory. So, what is it about the Panthers that bring out the best in Morgan?
"I couldn't tell you," Morgan said. "Even last year I had some success against them. They are very attack-heavy on defense, and that makes it easy for our guards to hit slips and for us to get one-on-one post-ups."
The first half was a 38-38 deadlock after eight ties and 12 lead changes. LaGrange held Maryville's top scorer, Reed Kemp, to just two points while Morgan worked his way for 14.
Kemp Cuts It Loose
Kemp came out smoking to start the second half, scoring Maryville's first seven points on the team's opening three possessions, only to have LaGrange answer with 2-point baskets at the other end. The Scots finally put together a 9-0 run to build their first breathing space at 57-46 with 14:39 remaining. Kemp scored five during the run, R.J. Simmons two and Logan Patterson two.
Jackson Garner's second 3-pointer of the game made it 71-56 with 9:50 showing. Garner finished with 11 points and the pair of treys, lifting his season total to 60 and equaling the number he made during his rookie season.
The margin kept growing and the crowd kept cheering. When Simmons put back his own miss for an 80-61 lead with 5:03 remaining, the sophomore sensation had his 12th straight game scoring in double figures and his team-leading fourth double-double of the season.
Kemp scored 15 in the second half to finish with 17, Morgan scored 14 more and Simmons scored eight and grabbed 11 of his game-high 14 boards.
"We've got a deep roster of scorers," Morgan said. "If they cut off Reed, we have four other guys on the floor who can handle the scoring load. Reed obviously is a fantastic scorer. He does that better than anybody I've ever played with, which is why he was Player of the Year."
Free throws played a huge part in this one. Maryville matched its best free throw shooting game of the season, finishing at 86.2 percent on 25-of-29 while LaGrange finished just 9-of-22. The other time the Scots shot 86.2 percent from the stripe was when they went 25-of-29 in that January victory at LaGrange.
Most Wins Since 2018-19
Maryville head coach Raul Placeres records 21 victories in a season for the first time and leads his team to the CCS championship game for a second consecutive year. The Scots with 92 points also scored a CCS tournament high, breaking the mark set Tuesday by Piedmont in a 90-86 quarterfinal round victory against Berea.
"I'm really proud of our ballclub," Placeres said. "It's tough to be a target as the No. 1 seed, and LaGrange played us darn tough in the first half. It was reminiscent of the game at their place when they played really well against us the first half and were only up three. I felt the same, and that was the message at halftime, that we wanted to be the better team in the second half.
"We outrebounded them by 14 in the second half, which is really good. And Chase is my guy. He's a warrior. They build them tough over there in Lenoir City. Reed came out and had a fantastic second half like a player of the year should, and R.J. is a double-double machine."
Placeres said the Scots tried to make it tough on guard Samuel Moss, who scored 19 points but was just 8-of-20 from the floor.
Maryville's Saturday opponent is a familiar one in Belhaven, which outlasted Piedmont 85-80 in overtime to win Friday's opener. Maryville defeated Belhaven 84-74 in last year's title game, but it was Belhaven that dealt Maryville its only loss of the 2023-24 conference regular season by a 78-76 count in Jackson back on Jan. 6.
Maryville and Belhaven were picked to finish 1-2 in the preseason, and the Scots and Blazers played up to that billing and finished 1-2 in the regular season.
"It's No. 1 versus No. 2, a rematch of last year," Placeres said. "They've got a great ballclub and they were in a tough game tonight as well. It should be great."
Cash Only for Saturday's Tickets
Saturday's tipoff is 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door for adults and $5 for seniors and children aged 6-18. Children under 6 are free, as are CCS students with a valid ID. A reminder that tickets are CASH ONLY!
