The Daily Times

Tayler Smith is nearing the end of her third season as a forward for the Maryville College women’s basketball team. She enters the postseason as one of the main contributors of this Great South Athletic Conference regular-season champions.

Smith has been one of the most consistent players for the Scots this season, and she looks to keep that up heading into the conference tournament that begins on Friday for MC. The junior from Crossville is fifth in the league and first on the team with 25 blocks on the season. She has been a main part inside for a team that is first in scoring defense in the GSAC by allowing only 52.2 points per game. Smith attributes hard work that has allowed her to play well on both ends of the court all season.

“I try to come in and work every day. This year we have done something new and we have done individuals twice a week,” Smith said. “The post players will come in and work with one of the coaches twice a week, and I think that’s made a big difference.”

The 5-foot 10-inch player, who has started every game but one this season, is second in the league in field goal percentage with a 51.8 percent mark for the team that is on a nine-game winning streak.

“She does a lot of things that go unnoticed. She plays the front of our press, and she is our post player,” said MC coach Darrin Travillian. “So, she is guarding the ball the entire length of the floor and then coming inside to get banged on and pushed and shoved and rebound.”

“She is our leading rebounder. She is one of our leading scorers. Field goal percentage, she is among the leaders in the conference. She does a whole lot.”

Against Berry on Dec. 10, Smith took a long-distance pass from teammate Lauren Burnett and drove in for the game-winning layup with 1.6 seconds remaining to give the Scots a 69-68 victory. While that was a big play for her in the season, she says that winning the conference championship was the biggest moment of the season so far on a team that she is near the top of in many statistical categories. Smith also leads the team in rebounds per game at 5.8 and is third on the team in points with 9.5 per game.

“Tayler is one of those players that every time you need something, she comes up with a big play,” said lone senior C.J. Dake. “Whether that’s a rebound, whether that’s a deflection, whether it’s a basket. We all had confidence in her. Last second shot against Berry, we knew that she was going to put that shot in. She comes to work every day, and she pushes everyone around her to be better.”

While the Scots’ offense has been better than average this season, their defense has been the better of the two. Smith has been a big part of that and she contributes it to the coaching staff going through defensive drills in practice.

“We just go through every possible screen. Anything that the team we are playing that week could throw at us we work on it and defend it,” Smith said.

Against LaGrange in the regular season finale on Saturday, Smith finished with a double-double as she scored 17 points and pulled down a game-high 12 boards. Travillion gives high praise to the rebounding ability that Smith has shown all season and during her whole career at Maryville College.

“She is one person who can jump and grab a big rebound in traffic and make a play. Her passing out of the post has gotten a lot better here lately, too,” Travillion said. “She does a lot of great things for us.”

The all-conference player from last season looks to go into Friday’s game against Huntingdon playing for the only senior on the team, Dake.

“We just got to go out there and give it all we got. If we don’t, it’s going to be our last game, and I know all of us want it for our senior (Dake) this year,” Smith said. “We don’t want to go out like we did last year and lose to the fourth seed. We just got to rebound and play good defense, and our offense will take care of itself.”

Those three aspects have been something that Smith has excelled in all season, and one of the reasons why the Marvyille Scots enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed on Friday.

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