Scots women are looking at playoff potential

The Scots women’s basketball team are having a dominating season on the court. The girls have played with a mission all season long.

The team is consistently scoring over 65 points a game to give them their current record of 12-4. The team is being led by seniors Kelley Wandell and Libby Gardner, who have both played pivotal minutes on the court for the Scots in recent bouts.

Wandell is playing almost 20 minutes a bout in the post for the team. She uses those minutes well, picking up key fouls and going to the free-throw line for 15 shots while hitting 12 of those. Wandell also holds an incredible shooting percentage that is almost up to 50 at 45.

Senior captain Kelley Wandell makes her presence known in the post before grabbing a board from her total of nine.

Photo taken by Savannah Stewart.

Junior Klaire Varney has also had another terrific season to this point. Last season, she was one of the Scots’ most consistent playmakers, and this year she is still holding true to that.

Varney is shooting an incredible amount of 16 points per game with an even more impressive shooting percentage of 49. She also hauls in an impressive six and a half rebounds per game to give the defense a boost while her offensive potential is just continuing to grow. Varney has received two Player of the Week accolades from the USA South Conference this season already.  

Junior standout Klaire Varney gets ready to dish the rock as freshman Abbi Joseph creates space in the lane.

Photo taken by Savannah Stewart.

There are two freshmen in particular helping lift the Scots to a playoff potential team as well. Courtney Carruthers and Abbi Joseph have both been starting forces for the Scots this season at times. Both help contribute to the explosive offense that Coach Darrin Travillian’s team has worked so hard to create.

Both freshmen are hometown girls; Carruthers hails from Maryville High School and Joseph from William Blount High School.

Coach Travillian’s team helped lift him to the 200 win mark back in early December, and they are already racing toward 250. The team is playing great this season, and that winning effort brought them their current 12-4 record. The team is sitting in third place for the conference play right now which would give them a good chance in the conference championship if they don’t fall in the rankings.

In-conference rivals, Huntingdon is currently in second place standing two games ahead of the Scots. Beyond them is the still unbeaten in conference, Berea. Berea is the only team in the conference with a better record than the fighting Scots at 15-2. They have been a long-time rival of Maryville.

This has already been a big season for the Scots, and that season continues to flourish. After Coach Travillian’s 200 win, the team continued to strive for success. The season has already most likely landed them a conference playoff spot, and the team has continued to improve their conference record.

This women’s team is becoming a very special group behind upperclassmen leadership that continues to put up big numbers and a few underclassmen who have stepped into big roles for the team. Coach Travillian has seen a lot of heart and effort from this squad, as they continue to show it and win games.

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