Maryville Finishes on 19-4 Run, Scoring Final 10 Points in 83-79 Triumph

SALEM, Va. – A back-and-forth affair that saw both teams trading blows turned into an instant classic at the Cregger Invitational, with Maryville coming out as Champions. The Scots rallied for an 83-79 victory against host Roanoke.
 
Having fallen short in their two other non-conference tournaments this season, the Scots were determined to finish the job in Virginia. Having completed a gutsy comeback on Sunday against Susquehanna, they found themselves in a comparable situation in the game against Roanoke. Different stretches of the game found the Scots down by 7, 8, and 11 points, and Raul Placeres' team countered each one. 
 
After leading all scorers in the game against the River Hawks on Sunday with 26 points, senior guard Reed Kemp once again led the game in scoring with 27 of his own. He hit 4-of-5 threes and shot 57.1 percent from the field overall. Kemp complemented the scoring with four assists, three rebounds, and two steals, including the steal with 11 seconds left that led to Maryville shooting free throws to ice the game. 
 
"Man, what a comeback!" Placeres said. "Just unbelievable grit and togetherness from the boys today to get it done against a team that came in ranked third in the country in offensive efficiency. To beat a good team on its home floor is special.
 
"At 8-4, we are right at the same point we were last year but our wins this year are against much better competition. We were 4-4 and my goal was for us to get to 9-4 before we went to Belhaven, and we have a chance to do that if we can beat Warren Wilson next week at home. Today's win against a sure-fire NCAA tournament team speaks volumes, and I am so proud of the guys.


 
Game Trends
While Roanoke led most of the game (34:32 compared to 2:39 for Maryville), the game never got out of hand for the Scots, with both teams essentially tied in statistical terms. The difference was once again the hot hand of Maryville's 3-point shooters, making a whopping 12 threes and shooting 54.5 percent for the game from behind the arc. Roanoke comparatively only made six threes and shot 31.6 percent from behind the same distance after knocking down 17 in Sunday's win against Bryn Athyn. 
 
Maryville's largest lead was the 83-79 final score, while Roanoke amassed an 11-point lead with 7:09 to go in the game with the score 75-64. 
 
The stout Scots defense locked in the rest of the way, only allowing four points on 0-of-8 shooting, with the Maroons' only points coming on free throws. They were 4-of-8 at the stripe during that stretch.
 
With 1:41 left in the game, Maryville found themselves with a three-point deficit. Sophomore guard Javi Rosell hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 1:11 left to go on an assist from Reed Kemp. Kemp proceeded to hit a layup with 17 seconds left to give the Scots the 81-79 lead, a lead that would not be relinquished.
 

Kemp then stole the ball from Roanoke's Joshua McClary with 11 seconds to go. Roanoke quickly fouled to put MC in the bonus and sent Jackson Garner to the free-throw line to shoot two. Garner made both and gave Maryville a four-point lead with 8 seconds to go. 
 
McClary attempted a desperation 3-pointer that missed and was rebounded by Chase Morgan, securing the victory and the championship for the Scots.
 
Final Score MC 83, RC 79
Maryville finished the game on a 19-4 run, scoring the final 10 points of the game. The Scots hit four of their last five threes. Kemp, Jamal Ware and Collin Smith combined to hit 11 of their last 12 shots, with Kemp also hitting four out of his five attempted threes in the game. 

Kemp and Garner were named to the Cregger Invitational All-Tournament Team.
 
This marks the Scots' final game of 2024, closing out the year on a four-game winning streak to improve their record to 8-4 overall. Roanoke is now 8-3. For the calendar year 2024, Maryville posted a 22-5 record.
 
"We have to continue to work, but everything is falling into place," Placeres said. "This was our best semester academically since I have been the head coach, now in Year 6. I always say there is a direct correlation between academic success and the on-court performance, and we came into this tournament with our three best practices of the season and turned those into a championship at a quality tournament.
 
"2024 was a heck of a year – we went a combined 22-5. 2025 could be even better."
 
The Scots are next in action on Jan. 8 inside the Cooper Athletic Center against Warren Wilson.