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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

The season came to a close for LaGrange College’s men’s basketball team with a 75-71 home loss to Maryville on Saturday.

The Panthers needed a win to secure a place in the USA South tournament, but that spot instead goes to the Scots.

The Panthers had a three-point lead with a little more than three minutes to play, but the Scots closed the game on an 8-1 run.

It was a frustrating season for the Panthers, who finished 7-18 overall and 6-12 in conference play, but the future appears bright with so many players returning.

“The guys that played major minutes for us will certainly be back,” said LaGrange College head coach Kendal Wallace. “We had three or four nice commitments on our recruiting trail, so things are looking up. We felt like if we came out here and our best, we would have won on Saturday. I felt like we should have hit a couple more bunnies and free throws. We gave up an offensive rebound to them off a free throw and you cannot do those things and expect to win. It is a learning experience. We will watch film, try to get better for next year and go back at it.”

Henry Blair led the Panthers with 16 points, Julian Cameron and Ronald Youngblood had 11 points apiece, and Bershard Edwards scored 10 points.