The Hawks Hold Off Maryville To Claim First CCS Title In Program History

MARYVILLE, Tenn.- In order to claim their first Collegiate Conference of the South championship in program history, Huntingdon men's basketball had to take on the #1 seed and host Maryville Scots inside their own arena in front of a crowd of 764 people.

After taking a 48-44 lead into the lockerroom at halftime, the Hawks held on through a back-and-forth second half to defeat the Scots 93-92, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament Bracket. 

Taking home the trophy today, this Huntingdon team becomes not only the first CCS champions in program history, but also is the first Huntingdon Basketball team to capture an elusive bid to the tournament in the NCAA era.

How it happened

Through two and a half minutes, the two teams were deadlocked, tied at 5 a piece. A small Maryville run put the Scots ahead 9-5, and Maryville was able to extend their lead to as much as 8, 20-12, by the 10:56 mark. A 7-3 Hawks run shortly after, seeing baskets from Myles Murphy and BJ Brown, put Huntingdon within striking distance, 23-19 with nine and a half minutes remaining in the half. After a free throw from Martise Jackson brought Huntingdon as close as three, 23-20, two three pointers from true freshman Keyshawn Dickey combined with free throws from Nate Johns allowed for the Hawks to tie things at 28 by the 7:29 mark.

Star guard BJ Brown followed Dickey with a triple of his own to give Huntingdon a 31-28 lead just 23 seconds later. Dickey continued to spark the Hawks offense as the half continued to wind down, scoring 5 of Huntingdon's next 6 points to keep the Hawks ahead, 37-34 at the 4:28 mark. The Scots cut the lead to just one, 37-36, with 3:57 remaining until halftime, but Marcus Townsend cashed in on a timely three on the following possession to push Huntingdon's lead back to 4, 40-36. Free throws from Brown and Jaylen Washington extended the lead to as much as 43-36 by the two and a half minute mark, but Maryville outscored Huntingdon 8-5 in the final stages to bring the Hawks halftime lead to 48-44.

The Scots opened the second half with a triple to cut Huntingdon's lead to one, 48-47, but the Hawks senior leaders remained consistent, with Tate Goolesby and Nate Johns each scoring to maintain the Huntingdon lead, 51-47 by the 17:14 mark. Back-to-back baskets for Maryville on the following possessions tied things at 51, but consecutive jumpers from Johns kept Huntingdon in front 55-52 by the 15:37 mark.

The Scots continued to attack offensively, capping off a run with a triple to retake the lead 57-55 by the 14:58 mark, but Huntingdon continued to battle, with BJ Brown and Ray'Quan Taylor leading the way as the Hawks jumped back in front 63-62 with 12 minutes remaining. The two teams traded blows over the following minutes, but a pair of free throws from Goolesby put the Huntingdon lead back at 5, 73-68, with 9:28 to go. Jaylen Washington and Nate Johns each put in baskets to push Huntingdon's lead to as much as 9, 78-69, with seven and a half minutes to go, but the Scots roared back to make it a three point game, 78-75, by the 5:48 mark. 

Entering the final two minutes, a pair of charity stripe shots from Johns put the Hawks lead at 5, 86-81. By the one minute mark, three free throws for the Scots had tied things up at 89. With 41 seconds remaining, BJ Brown knifed through the lane to put Huntingdon back ahead by two, 91-89, and key stops for the Hawks as the clock winded down allowed for Huntingdon to claim the Collegiate Conference of the South championship, 93-92.

Game Notes

• With his 16 points tonight, Nate Johns surpassed the 1,000 point mark for his career.
• The back-and-forth affair featured 14 ties and lead changes.
• The Hawks were hot, shooting 54.7% from the field and 60% from three
• Tonight's victory over the Scots breaks a 12 game losing streak to Maryville for the Hawks

Hawk Top Performers

• #3 Nate Johns- 16 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
• #4 BJ Brown- 25 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block
• #5 Keyshawn Dickey- 11 points, 3/3 from three
• #33 Ray'Quan Taylor- 10 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

2025 CCS All-Tournament Team

BJ Brown, Huntingdon (MVP)

Nate Johns, Huntingdon

Martise Jackson, Huntingdon

Reed Kemp, Maryville

Javi Rosell, Maryville

Jonathan Lucas, Belhaven

Luke Imfeld, Asbury

What's Next?

On Monday, March 4th, the NCAA selection show will air at 11:00 AM CT. Tune in here to see who/where the Hawks will take on in the round of 64 in the NCAA tournament.