MC Defeats Belhaven 76-61

JACKSON, Miss. – Maryville rode a dominant fourth-quarter performance to a 76-61 victory over Belhaven in the CCS Quarterfinal round on Wednesday night.
 
The Scots started the fourth quarter with a 55-53 lead, but they would outscore the Blazers 21-8 in the final 10 minutes. With 5:27 left in the contest Maryville led 62-61, but MC would hold Belhaven scoreless for the remainder of the contest. The Scots scored 14 unanswered points to close out the contest and seal the victory.
 
"That was the game we've been waiting on all year," Maryville head coach Darrin Travillian said. "There were so many games this season that got away from us in the fourth quarter, but tonight was the opposite. We fell behind but then we bounced right back and we were the aggressor.
 
Travillian was happy with how his team battled and fought against a tough opponent. The Scots lost both matchups against Belhaven during the regular season. But he knew his squad had it in them to see this one through.


 
"The game here a few weeks ago, we were right there at the end. We felt like we could compete, and we would be in this game. I told them before the game, 'Get us in position, keep us in the game, and we are going to win.'"
 
Courtney Carruthers led the Scots on offense against the Blazers. She recorded her second double-double of the season, scoring a season-high 30 points while picking up 10 rebounds. She also recorded five assists and contributed on the defensive end with a team-high two steals.
 
Carruthers put up her best performance of the season, against the top player in the conference, Shantashia John, who was announced as the CCS Player of the Year on Wednesday.
 
"She took that as a personal matchup, which is what a good ballplayer does," Travillian said "She took the challenge that, 'Hey, I can score too.'"
 
But Travillian wasn't just impressed with Carruthers' play on the court, he praised her leadership and work as a great teammate.
 
"What I really loved about Court tonight was there were timeouts and dead balls where she was telling her teammates to relax, that they were going to make the next shot, to get open and she was going to find them and they would knock it down."


 
Following Carruthers as double-digit scorers for Maryville were Courtney Farr with 13 points, and Hailey Cronk with 10.
 
Maryville shot 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the field, which marks their third-best shooting performance of the season. The Scots also made nine threes in the contest, tied for second-most on the season.
 
With the victory, MC moves on to the Semifinals of the CCS tournament where they will take on first-place Berea on Saturday. Tip-off is at 2 p.m.