Kemp, Morgan Lead Maryville Past LaGrange 81-62
MARYVILLE – Maryville head coach Raul Placeres called it Separation Week, with the Scots attempting to separate themselves from Huntingdon while staying hot on the heels of first-place Belhaven.
Maryville did just that here Saturday, completing a 3-0 week with an 81-62 victory over LaGrange. The Scots improved to 8-1 in the Collegiate Conference of the South, two games better than Huntingdon at 6-3 after the Hawks survived at Asbury 81-78 to salvage their own 1-2 week.
Belhaven remains the league leader at 9-0 after defeating Covenant on Saturday. The Blazers host Huntingdon this Thursday and then welcome Maryville to the Magnolia State on Feb. 21. The regular season champion hosts the CCS Tournament, while the top two seeds earn byes into the semifinals on Friday, Feb. 28.
A Maryville victory this Tuesday at Asbury locks up no worse than a top-two seed for the Scots.
"We coined it Separation Week; we wanted to separate ourselves from the pack," Placeres said. "It started with the big win Tuesday on the game-winner by Jamal, and then we followed up with two good home wins behind some really good defense."
Second-Half Surge Overwhelms Panthers
After Maryville limited Huntingdon in Friday night's second half to 26.8 percent from the floor and 2-of-16 from 3-point distance, the Scots did it again Saturday afternoon. Maryville held LaGrange to 32.3 percent shooting from the floor and 4-of-22 from downtown.
The Scots, meanwhile, pulled away from a 34-27 halftime lead by shooting 53.6 percent in the second half and scoring 47 second-half points. The big burst was a 27-10 start to the period over the first 7:22 out of the locker room, with Ware's 3-pointer making it 61-37 with 12:38 remaining.
MC coasted from there.
Reed Kemp scored 20 points in the first half and Chase Morgan scored 19 in the second half. Kemp and Morgan were Maryville's top two scorers with 34 and 21 points, respectively.
It was Kemp's fourth game this season with 30 or more points and his 19th in 22 starts of at least 20 points, including the last 12 in a row. Kemp finished 9-of-18 from the floor, including 6-of-10 from 3-point distance, and 10-of-12 at the line.
Big Day for Scots' Big Two
Morgan finished 7-of-15 from the floor and a perfect 7-of-7 at the stripe. That tied the best perfect free throw shooting line of his career, matching the 7-of-7 he posted against LaGrange back in February 2023. Morgan in seven career games against LaGrange is averaging 17.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 53.4 percent from the field and 87.0 percent from the line.
Kemp during the game became the 37th Maryville Scot to reach 1,000 career points, settling at 1,029. Add his 157 points from two seasons at Division II Missouri Western, and Kemp over four years has scored 1,186.
Also Saturday, Kemp with his 34 points nudged Randy Lambert out of the season-scoring top 10 list. Kemp has 536 for the season to date, placing him ninth. Lambert, the future Scots coaching legend, scored 525 points during the 1975-76 season and Greg Hernandez, now 10th, scored 529 during the 2009-10 campaign.
To celebrate Senior Day, Placeres started the four seniors along with sophomore Javi Rosell. And the Miami point guard rewarded his head coach by scoring 14 points and leading all rebounders with eight – one off his career high. Rosell also was the top assist man with four.
"Our point guard really energized us; made some really good plays," Placeres said. "For a guy of his stature, he rebounds the heck out of the basketball. He was the only non-senior to start today but he brought it. He's a winner and he's playing with a lot of confidence, and that's what we need."
Maryville with its fourth straight victory improved to 17-5 overall, while LaGrange dropped to 6-17. The Scots lead the all-time series against LaGrange 51-14 and have won the last six meetings.
Coach Placeres on Darius Martin
"Just proud of his progression as a player. From Year 1 to Year 4, you could see his improvement. He has helped us win many games in his career, just with his athleticism, his shot-blocking ability, and just being efficient around the rim. He's shooting close to 80 percent this season. He has played more this season as a senior than all his previous three years, and I'm proud of his development as a player."
Coach Placeres on Hayden Treadwell
"Hayden has had his moments throughout his career. One that comes to mind, I remember Chase being injured last year and we put Hayden in that position, and we were able to beat Covenant here at home. But Hayden has been a consistent force in bringing it every day to practice and pushing the other guys, not just with his work, but with being vocal. He is also an elite student in the classroom, and for that we're very thankful. I am very appreciative of his time here at Maryville."
Coach Placeres on Malachi Chipp
"What gives me the greatest satisfaction is he's an exceptional human being. But now in his senior year with some of the injuries we have had, he has stayed the course, he has been a great teammate the whole way, and he's worked, worked, worked. And now, in one of the most critical points of the season, because he stayed ready, he's been given an opportunity and he's making the best of it. That makes me so proud as a coach.
Coach Placeres on Reed Kemp
"Player of the Year with the All-Region, 1,000 points scored in just two seasons here – he's done it all. He's the first one in the gym, the last one to leave. He's a perfectionist and that's why, to me, he's an elite performer because he's never satisfied, and I love that about him. I love his courage to take the big shots in the big moments and, man, I'm eternally thankful to him for choosing us when he got into the portal. I hope I've been as good for him as I know he has been for me. I can't say enough about him. Every time I think he does well and I'm satisfied, he surprises me and does even better and for that, I'm thankful. He will go down as one of the better players who has ever played in the program."