D3hoops.com: Notables

By Marcus Fitzsimmons
Special to D3hoops

DEMOREST, Ga. – Last year Maryville (Tenn.) gave coach Randy Lambert win No. 500 taking the Great South Athletic Conference title game.

This year they gave the 28-year head coach win No. 525 in a hard-fought 90-79 victory over Piedmont in the Lions' den. MC (24-2) took its sixth title and third in a row behind 22 points from tourney MVP Eryk Watson. The scoring point guard became the first freshman to win the honor in tourney history.

Piedmont (14-13) rallied back from 16 down in the first and 15 in the second twice making it a three-point contest with nine minutes to play.

Watson proved too much scoring nine consecutive Scot points pushing the lead to 87-76 with 2:20 to play. Senior Alex Bowers (18) finished the Lions from the line.

"We called a time there just to clear out for him and for everyone to understand that's what we were doing," said Lambert. "It's not something we usually do but he came through for us."

National scoring champion Jake Baldwin finished with 18 but it was the 7-for-13 3-point shooting that led the comeback charge. Michael Rubio (3-for-9) and Branden Mayweather (5-for-6) combined for 33 points for Piedmont.

MC appears to be a lock for a Pool B Invite to the dance, which would be the Scots 10th consecutive dance card. Maryville owns the NCAA record with nine consecutive appearances with at least one win.

"I think there's still a chance we could host, but it depends on what happens in other tournaments tonight and Sunday," Lambert said. "I know they'll be projecting and speculating Sunday night on Hoopsville but we'll see what happens Monday at noon."

Women: Top-seeded Piedmont took its second consecutive GSAC title and accompanying automatic qualifier downing Maryville, 89-73.

Though leading at half by three Piedmont (24-3) couldn't get any separation from MC (15-12) until Laura Simmons took over scoring three consecutive baskets in a 62 second span to push the Lady Lion lead to 80-70 with 1:12 remaining.

The only two teams to win a GSAC title traded big basket for big basket through the second half with Maryville's Natalie Munday (10 points) and Katie Saxe (22) working a scoring race against a precise high screen game that fueled a largely perimeter attack until Simmons (15) took things into the paint for Piedmont.

Former Tennessee softball outfielder Alicia Brown (16) connected on 4-of-5 treys for MC but the Lady Lions were 9-for-14 (64 percent) from beyond the arc with Nikki Sosebee (16) and Beth Adcock (20) both 3-for-5 from long distance. "Our shots just started falling for us," Adcock said. "We were looking for Laura late because Munday was on her with four fouls. She just came open a few times when they started pressuring the ball."

Maryville was forced to manage a growing foul problem early. Leading 14-10 the Scots surrendered the lead at the line with Piedmont shooting the plus-one bonus just 7:53 into the contest and mounting an 8-0 run. PC finished 32-of-43 from the charity line on 31 fouls. Maryville was 15-of-21 at the line.

With the win Piedmont owns both AQs that the GSAC has given in women's basketball.

"I don't care where we go as long as it close enough for a short drive or far enough we get to fly," said Adcock of waiting for Monday's brackets.

Maryville meanwhile will begin the search for a new head coach. Interim coach
Brian Fowler, who replaced Jeff Pardue for medical reasons in early January, confirmed he will apply for the position.

MUSINGS: Get up early and enjoy the scenic beauty offered around Piedmont College because after the sun goes down so does the town.

Following Friday's semifinals in the Great South Athletic Conference Tournament even finding food, much less a wind down adult beverage, proved a real challenge.

Picking up Maryville College book guardian Jack Roberts from the other hotel we find MC women's interim head coach Brian Fowler wandering the halls with junior Natalie Munday in tow, a mound of clothes in their arms as the pair searched for the laundry room. The little challenges of the postseason in Division III that would be unimaginable to the big money brethren. I can't imagine Coach K or Vivian Stringer wandering through the hotel lobby with a mound of sweaty uniforms and a box of Tide the night before the conference championship games. Piling in with Roberts and WBCR (Maryville, Tenn.) announcer George DeBaby -- the voice of the Scots – we set out on a frustrating tour of a series of attractive looking restaurants that all featured closed at 10 p.m. signs on the darkened front doors.

Finally our somewhat still happy trio surrendered the quest and resigned ourselves to the Waffle House. Pulling in a familiar "MURVUL" vanity plate greeted us in the parking lot and sure enough MC men's coach Randy Lambert was also relegated into the scattered and smothered haven. Lambert waved a hand interrupting a hoops hashing hash brown strategy session with assistant Kendall Wallace.

The Scots' braintrust chatted scores as news of Mississippi College's loss as part of the West-sweeps-East movement in the ASC unfolded. It's a peaceful night but the teenagers playing in the high school golf tournament bring me awake early to the rattling of golf bags being marshaled down the hall. There's plenty of free time before the finals start so I take advantage to spend the morning flirting with girlfriend, who is also working this Saturday, via texts.

DeBaby is bored so I ride along on a brief tour of the surrounding towns. Helen is impressive for its strict Alpine theme that goes so far as to put an unusual motif on the Huddle House. Circling back through Cleveland it’s time for coffee before a nap to get back the hour stolen by the teenagers ungodly early rush to chase a white ball through Georgia's grass and pines.

A bite to eat, not from the House of Heartburn but the hospitality room, and it's time for championships.

The attendance is good despite Piedmont starting spring break on Friday. And outside of an announcer that is apparently four tones more deaf than I am judging by his volume control of lack thereof it's a great environment.

Things break as predicted, the 20-plus win favorites taking victories and awaiting news of where bracketology will send them.

Over the last four seasons I've been to all the GSAC's coed member schools for the tourney with Demorest being the last of these. Each has been a unique trip that has left me on the drive home thankful for the character and diversity of D-III.