Maryville athletics photo

In some ways, the decision on where to play college basketball was simple for Maryville senior guard Lauren Burnett.

For starters, the school is in her hometown. Her grandfather and father both played for the Scots as well.

But she was exploring other options as she considered where to continue her career after shining for Heritage High School, including the possibility of attending Division I Western Carolina.

"I looked into other schools, but none of them felt right, and so I went to watch a few Maryville games and really liked it there," Burnett said.  "I knew that was where I was supposed to be."

It didn't hurt that she was close to her family or that others outside her family would have a chance to watch her play more often.

"It's great that my family can come watch me play," Burnett said. "And people from my high school and from church, and others I know around town have come to games as well and have been able to follow my career through the newspaper, too."

Burnett has no doubt had quite a career, and the 5-7 senior shooting guard has helped the Scots stay on course for a USA South Athletic Conference title and another run at the NCAA tournament.

Maryville, the favorite in the South Division, entered the final week of January at 15-3 overall and 8-1 in the conference. It has won its last seven games, including an 80-33 drubbing of Mary Baldwin on Saturday. Burnett drilled four treys and led the Scots with 14 points.

"We had some doubters coming into the season because we had lost good players from last season, but we have played focus and we want to get that 20th NCAA bid (in program history)," Burnett said. "Our team has played hard and we have been a tough team. That gritty style of play has been key for us."

Burnett is averaging 10.3 points per game and ranks second on the team in scoring behind Mackenzie Puckett, a sophomore guard who is averaging 18.1 points per outing.

Burnett has drilled a team-best 41 3-pointers and has tallied 37 assists and 26 steals as well.

This season, she is back to playing the shooting guard, but during her first three years in college, Burnett had to learn how to be a point guard out of necessity.

It wasn't easy.

"I had never played the position in my life before I got here," Burnett said. "It was a big adjustment and probably took me about a month to get used to it. But I had a lot of help from the coaches and my teammates. It gave me a lot of confidence in the long run."

Burnett did indeed learn to run the offense for the Scots, and even now that experience is beneficial. But she is much happier being back at her natural position.

"I've always been a shooter. I've been that way since I was little and it's the role I love the most," Burnett said. "But playing point guard has definitely helped me. It allows me to see the floor better and gives me a lot more confidence as a player."

Coming into college, not only did Burnett have to learn a new position, but she had to adjust to the challenges that come with playing at the next level, such as the speed and physicality of the game.

"It was tough, especially because of my size," Burnett said. "It took time to adapt to it. I knew that if I was going to be successful, I was going to have to step it up."

Burnett did indeed step it up and has thrived as a student as well, juggling her time between school and basketball effectively.

On the court, she spent a lot of time in the offseason improving her ability to put the ball on the floor and go inside.

"I've always been labeled as a shooter, but I wanted to become a lot better at being able to drive to the basket and score that way if needed," Burnett said. "I worked a lot on it in the summer and it's made me a better player."

The Scots are averaging 71.1 points per game and allowing 56.8. Junior guard Alex Bond averages 7.1 points per game and has tallied 17 steals while junior center Kelsey Brown is clicking for 6.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Freshman forward Mindy Brackins is averaging 6.0 points per outing and junior guard Lauren Trent is averaging 5.7 points per game. She has knocked down 32 shots from beyond the arc. Lailah Farmer is the only other senior on the team. The veteran guard is averaging 5.7 points per outing. She has hit 18 treys and has racked up 29 steals.

Burnett and her teammates are intent on finishing the season strong and returning to the NCAA tourney. The Scots won a first-round game last season, knocking off Otterbein 68-61. Their run ended in a 78-51 loss to eventual national champion DePauw.

Burnett scored 17 in the tournament opener, highlighting her effort with five 3-pointers, and is eager to get another shot in the postseason.

"It was a very good experience for us," Burnett said. "Winning a game in the tournament gave us a lot of confidence and we are working hard to get back there and see what we can do."

American Southwest Conference

Men: Texas-Dallas continued its push for the best win streak in program history as it rallied for a 76-72 win over rival Texas-Tyler on Saturday. UTD trailed 39-35 at the half, marking the first time it has been down at the break this season. The Comets won 10 consecutive games before losing on Monday.

Women: Texas-Tyler maintained its hold on first place in the conference with a 62-57 win over Texas-Dallas on Saturday. Brittany King led the way with a remarkable performance. She scored 26 points and nearly tied the single-game rebounding record as she pulled down 21 rebounds. The record is 22.

She'Cara Humphrey came through with 17 points and six rebounds and Danai Woods was on point running the offense as she dished out nine assists.

The Patriots improved to 14-3 overall and to 12-2 in the conference. Tyler has won four of its last five games.

Great South Athletic Conference

Salem is the hottest team in the league at the moment as it entered the final week of January riding a 14-game win streak, the longest in program history. The Spirits nailed down their latest win on Saturday with an 81-40 win over Wesleyan in conference play. Salem is now 14-3 overall and 2-0 in the GSAC.

Satavia Taylor, one of the top scorers in the country, torched Wesleyan for 25 points. She scored 15 in the second half. Taylor is averaging 22.4 points per game and ranks 12th in the country in scoring.

Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Men: Mickey DeVries scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds as he helped Calvin maintain a share of first place in the conference with a 95-53 win over Olivet.

Tyler Kruis scored 15 points and pulled down six rebounds while Jordan Brink clicked for 13 points as the Knights rolled to their fourth consecutive game. They are 13-4 overall and 5-1 in the MIAA.

The Knights led 36-26 at halftime and dominated the second half as it led by as many as 42. They shot 53.8 percent from the floor overall and made five 3-pointers, all in the second half after missing on eight attempts from long range in the opening half.

Women:  Olivet broke the school record for wins in a season on Saturday as it knocked off Adrian 71-59 to win its 16th game of the year. The Comets have won 11 consecutive games and are now 16-2 overall and 8-1 in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, moving into the D3hoops.com Top 25 for the first time in program history on Monday.

Chelsea Ciba paved the way as she torched the Bulldogs for 19 points. Stefanie Lang turned in her 15th double-double of the year as she scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Olivet won 15 games last season and is three wins shy of setting a record for wins in league play. The Comets won 10 MIAA games last season.

North Coast Athletic Conference

Men: Dre White rose to the occasion in the second half, scoring 15 of his 20 points in the final 20 minutes to help Ohio Wesleyan knock off Denison 83-75 on Saturday. White's effort helped the Bishops rally from a double-digit deficit. Denison led 29-17 at one point and led by as many as 13 before Ohio Wesleyan put together a rally for their fifth consecutive win.

Ohio Wesleyan shot 50 percent from the field and improved to 14-3 overall and to 8-2 in the conference as they remained in contention for the top seed in the NCAC.

Women: Behind a balanced attack that featured four players in double figures, Allegheny rattled off its third consecutive win with an 86-66 win over Oberlin on Saturday. The win keeps the Gators in a tie for second in the standings as they are now 12-6 overall and 6-3 in the NCAC.

Kendall Hoffman helped lead the way as she turned in her fourth double-double of the year, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. She also tallied four steals and four blocks. It was her second consecutive double-double.

Ohio Athletic Conference

Men: Otterbein kept its hopes alive for a spot in the OAC tournament as it completed a season sweep of Muskingum on Saturday with an 80-75 win. It was the Cardinals' first home win of the year and only their second win overall in their last 10 games. The Cardinals pushed their record to 4-13, 3-7 OAC.

Jake Phillis paced the Cardinals with 18 points and Matt Rhodes finished with 17 points.  Otterbein shot 54.7 percent from the field and held Muskingum to 38.5 percent shooting from the floor.

Women: It turned out to be the most unlikely win in program history for Wilmington.

The Quakers trailed Marietta by 10 points with 37 seconds left in regulation but battled back to eventually win the riveting OAC battle 103-102 in double overtime on Saturday. Wilmington forced four turnovers in the last 30 seconds of regulation and back-to-back 3-pointers by Hannah Haeseker helped fuel the comeback. Spencer Robles finished the rally with a pair of free throws as the two teams ended tied 82-82 at the end of regulation.

Both teams scored seven points apiece in the first OT. Robles hit a trey in the second OT and layups by MaKenzie Wippel and Kirsten Glick gave Wilmington the lead for good.

Wilmington, riding a season-best four-game win streak,  improved to 10-7 overall and to 7-3 in the conference. The Quakers have won six of their last seven overall.

Old Dominion Athletic Conference

Men: Matt McCarthy scored 15 points in the second half and helped Guilford maintain its share of first place in the ODAC with a 77-63 win over Eastern Mennonite on Saturday. McCarthy scored 20 on the day, hitting four treys along the way, and helped the Quakers improve to 13-4 overall and to 7-1 in the league.

Zeb Richardson added 17 points, tying his career-high, as Guilford won for the fourth time in five games. Richardson scored 11 of his points in the first half.

Women: Taylor Huber lit up the scoreboard for 31 points and led Randolph-Macon to a 110-93 win over Roanoke on Saturday. The win keeps the Yellow Jackets within a game of first place in the conference. Randolph-Macon is 13-4 overall and 6-2 in the league.

Huber drilled five treys to highlight her effort and Sarah Parsons came through with 22 points. Parsons connected on all 10 of her attempts from the free-throw line and grabbed nine rebounds as well.

Katie Anderson added 19 points to go along with seven rebounds as the Yellow Jackets won their second consecutive game.

Presidents' Athletic Conference

Men: St.  Vincent continued its dominance of the PAC as it knocked off Waynesburg 87-68 last Wednesday to push its conference win streak to 20 games. The Bearcats have won 11 consecutive games overall and own an 18-game home win streak.

Isaac Turner and Dillon Stith scored 20 points apiece and Stith grabbed 14 rebounds as well as he turned in his ninth double-double of the season, the most of any player in the league.

Women: Jaclyn Watkins continued her dominant run as she came through with her eighth double-double of the season in Thiel's 59-47 win over Geneva on Saturday. The win ended a seven-game losing streak for the Tomcats, who are 4-13 overall and 3-7 in the conference.

Southern Athletic Association

Men: Larry Thomas sent the game into overtime with a clutch 3-pointer near the end of regulation and helped Birmingham-Southern knock off Rhodes 85-80 in OT in a crucial SAA game on Sunday.

Thomas tied the score at 73-73 with 32 seconds to play and the Panthers outscored the Lynx 12-7 in the extra session to move into a tie with Rhodes for second in the standings. The Panthers are 10-6 overall and 4-2 in the conference.

Thomas finished his day with 25 points. He drilled four treys and grabbed seven rebounds as well. Griffin Schamp clicked for 16 points and Schylar Freeman scored 11 points and blocked three shots.

Women: Chanlir Segarra left her mark in the school record book on Saturday as she went over 1,000 points for her career in Berry's 77-70 win over conference leader Centre.

Segarra scored 18 points in the win and also grabbed six rebounds. She dished out nine assists as well as the Vikings improved to 10-7 overall and to 3-3 in the SAA. Berry has won three consecutive games.

Megan Walsh stepped up as well as she torched Centre for a career-high 24 points. Walsh pulled down eight rebounds, tallied three steals and blocked five shots as well. Mel McLean scored 19 points, drilling four treys to highlight the effort, and Emma Cook scored 10 points.

Berry shot 48.3 percent from the field and held Centre to 36.1 percent shooting from the field. Paige Beachle scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Colonels, who suffered their first league loss of the season. Centre is 11-6 overall and 5-1 in the SAA.

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

Men: Centenary picked up one of its biggest wins of the season on Sunday as it knocked off Schreiner 70-67 in conference action. Schreiner came in tied for first in the conference and is now 9-9 overall and 5-2 in the league.

Centenary, behind 19 points from Jonathan Blount, improved to 8-8 overall and to 3-3 in the conference. The Gents won for the second time in their last three games. Blount pushed his career win total to 1,239 points and he has scored in double figures in 45 consecutive games.

Women: Trinity kept its hold on first place in the conference with a 76-59 win over Colorado College on Saturday.

Murphy Burns clicked for 17 points to pace the Tigers, who improved to 14-4 overall and to 6-1 in the conference. She moved into a tie for second all-time in scoring with 1,423 points. Murphy also grabbed six rebounds, handed out five assists and tallied three steals as the Tigers won their second consecutive game.

USA South Athletic Conference

Men: Huntingdon has been playing well as of late and won its third consecutive game on Sunday as it defeated William Peace 74-63.

The Hawks led by as many as 27 as they improved to 4-11 overall and to 3-3 in the conference.

Austin Hill scored 20 or more for the eighth consecutive game as he finished with 20 points. He also grabbed 13 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Hill averages a league-best 21.3 points per game and is fourth in the conference in rebounding at 8.2 rebounds per outing.

Women: Meredith used strong shooting from the free-throw line to seal the deal on a 62-56 win over Covenant on Saturday.

The Avenging Angels were 8-of-10 from the line down the stretch to secure the win and win for only the second time in their last five games. Meredith was 81.8 percent from the line as it improved to 5-8 overall and to 3-4 in the conference.

McKenzi Edwards hit all 11 of her attempts from the line and scored 23 points to pace the Avenging Angels, who led 36-17 at halftime.

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