Bodewig leads Maryville inside out, 70-67
By Grant Ramey | (grantr@thedailytimes.com)
Early on Maryville College built a cushion from the outside. And down the stretch the Scots got back to that cushion on the inside.
Maryville made eight 3-point shots in the first half, and Joey Bodewig went to work in the post in the second half Saturday afternoon as MC hung on for a 70-67 USA South win over a clingly Methodist University team on Randy Lambert Court.
Bodewig, the Scots’ 6-foot-8, 235-pound post, was perfect on the afternoon — making all seven of his field goals attempts and the only two free throws he shot — in leading MC with 16 points and three rebounds. Oscar Butler added 12 points for Maryville (9-11, 4-7 USA South) while Jose Agosto had 9. Christian Ford and Wes Lambert added 8 points each.
“I thought we played very well in the first half,” Lambert, the Scots’ head coach, said. “We were finding the open man, hitting the open shots and playing good team basketball.”
Maryville was 8 of 13 from behind the 3-point line in the first half, building a 42-30 halftime lead. The Scots led by as much as 18 in the first half.
But Methodist (8-11, 5-5 USAS) came out firing to start the second 20 minutes, and MC came out cold.
The Monarchs started the second half on a 9-0 run before eventually tying the game at 44-all on back-to-back Johnel Jones field goals.
But that’s when Bodewig went to work under the bucket.
The sophomore from Knoxville Catholic scored MC’s first 8 points out of the break, all from close range, after scoring just 2 points in the first half.
“It’s kind of a been a problem of ours all year long. We come out flat after halftime,” Bodewig told The Daily Times after the game.
“I knew we can always rely on the inside play. That’s one of our strong points.”
Maryville built the lead back up to 63-56 on back-to-back buckets from Bodewig later in the second half.
“It’s our goal in every game to go inside,” Lambert said. “And Jaumonee (Byrd) was struggling a little bit, as far as finishing around the basket.
“Joey came in, was doing a good job of sealing and creating lanes to the basket. His shots were easier. Instead of shooting over someone, he was taking it to the hole.”
Methodist had a chance to tie it on the game’s final possession, but Butler stripped Methodist’s Tabias Hilliard after the Monarchs inbounded with just three seconds left in regulation, and the loose ball managed to run out the clock.
Maryville scored 24 of its 42 first-half points on 3-point tries.
A 3 from Butler tied the game at 6-all early. The first half 3-point assault was on from there.
Consecutive treys from Lambert, Griffin and Burris extended what was a 13-12 lead into a 22-14 advantage not long after Butler tied it.
The Scots were just 1 for 7 from behind the arc in the second half, when Bodewig started pouring it in from the post.
“Joey sprained his ankle about two weeks ago,” Lambert said, “and he’s just now getting back to speed.”
“I’ve kind of been struggling to come back,” Bodewig added. “I needed this game to up my confidence.
“It does wonders. I feel a lot better about what I can do.”
SCOTS 70, METHODIST 67
MU 30 37 — 67
MC 42 28 — 70
METHODIST UNIVERSITY (8-11, 5-5 USAS): Bryan Hockaday 16, Johnel Jones 10, Justin Washington 9, Brandon Monk 9, Tabias Hilliard 8, Keemon Ingram 8, Desmond Parker 2, Joey Horne 2, Austin Pack 2, Kyle Combs 1.
MARYVILLE COLLEGE (9-11, 4-7 USAS): Joey Bodewig 16, Oscar Butler 12, Jose Agosto 9, Christian Ford 8, Wes Lambert 8, Jaumonne Byrd 5, Jethro Griffin 4, Spencer Shoffner 3, J.P. Burris 3, Craig Raye 2.
3-POINTERS: Methodist 5 (Washington 2, Ingram 2, Monk 1); Maryville 9 (Ford 2, Agosto 2, Butler 2, Shoffner 1, Lambert 1, Burris 1).
