Spoofhounds own 2nd half in comeback victory
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Maryville junior forward Chip Dunlap goes up for a layup over a pair of Chillicothe defenders during the Spoofhounds’ 55-45, come-from-behind victory Tuesday night.
For two and a half quarters, the MEC home opener for the Maryville boys’ basketball team looked like it would be a bleak disappointment for the Spoofhounds.
After struggling against one of the conference’s better teams in Chillicothe through most of the first half, a pair of timely second-half runs awarded Maryville its first MEC win of the year, 55-45.
“It’s our only home game this month, so (winning) is huge,” head coach Matt Stoecklein said. “No. 2, they’re the no. 1 seed in the Cameron Tournament, they’re one of the better teams in the conference and they’re really good. We executed really well.”
After the first quarter of play, Chillicothe captured a 15-12 advantage and extended it by living at the free throw line in the final minutes of play before halftime.
The Hornets owned much of the first two quarters by putting the Spoofhounds in foul trouble and taking it to them, forcing an overaggressive defense on its heels.
“We had, I think, three or four players with two fouls and we tried not to get them out there too much,” Stoecklein said. “ … Everything wasn’t going our way, but you’ve got to fight through it.”
During the last few minutes of the second quarter, Chillicothe lived at the free throw line, utilizing a 7-0 run to end the half for a 27-22 lead at the break.
“I said, ‘Boys, it’s not that bad. It’s just five points, we’ll be alright,’” Stoecklein said. “Then, we came out and executed in the second half.”
After both sides went back and forth for the first handful of minutes in the third period, the Hornets were able to stretch their lead to nine.
However, it was Maryville’s turn to own the last stages of a quarter, as Stoecklein’s team took over on both ends of the floor to end the third on a whirlwind 11-0 run. The final bullet was a deep three-pointer as time expired from sophomore guard Spencer Morrison that gave the Spoofhounds a 37-35 lead.
“I think we executed some plays correctly,” Stoecklein said. “We got some easy scores and then their energy got up and their defense got up and then they started to do everything right on defense … Everything started to click.
“(Spencer’s shot) was huge. Some things started to fall our way, and I think it’s because we had the positive energy.”
Just as it felt like the Hawaiian-attire clad Maryville student section might blow the roof off the gym, Chillicothe junior guard Nate McKiddy buried a triple to give the lead back to the Hornets at 43-42 with 4:40 to go.
Morrison retook the lead again for the Spoofhounds, this time for good, on a baseline jumper with a little more than four minutes remaining. The smooth shot sparked a 13-0 run to conclude the contest, affording Maryville (7-5, 1-1) a final score that looked simple after choppy first-half waters.
“It’s really nice because we’ve been drilling these guys on defense and on execution on offense,” Stoecklein said. “And to finally see it, we see it now on the court, it was really nice to see. Really exciting to see.”
Sophomore guard John Zimmerman tallied 11 points to lead the way and senior center Jacob Cacek chipped in with 10, while Morrison added nine, including two of the biggest shots of the contest. McKiddy poured in 13 to lead all scorers.
Maryville now faces a string of road contests –– three in a row before the Cameron Tournament –– starting at 7 p.m. Friday at Falls City.
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Sophomore forward Jakob Gray tries to slam home a dunk for Maryville Tuesday night in its 55-45 victory over Chillicothe, but comes up just short on the front of the rim.
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Spoofhound senior center Jacob Cacek rips down a rebound before getting fouled during a 55-45 win Tuesday night over Chillicothe. Cacek tallied 10 points in the victory.
DALTON VITT/DAILY FORUM
With the attention of three Chillicothe defenders centered on him, Maryville sophomore guard Spencer Morrison drives to the hole Tuesday night. Morrison chipped in a pair of key shots for the Spoofhounds in their 55-45 win.
