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MARYVILLE — Few teams have challenged No. 3 Maryville since the new year, and Morristown West wasn’t one of them Tuesday night as the Rebels rolled to a 74-45 win in the Region 1-4A semifinals.

Maryville is 15-0 in 2026 and 28-3 overall. During that span, no team has come within single digits and only 4 have been within 20 points.

The Trojans stayed within two possessions for the first five minutes of play, but Maryville used a 22-5 run over the next five to quickly take control and led 44-21 at the half. West was able to stop the bleeding in the third quarter, letting up just 12 points, but it couldn’t cut into the deficit.

“We lost to a good basketball team,” head coach Joe Dobyns said. “We got to give them all the credit in the world for how good they are. They shoot the ball extremely well, they take care of it and they do a good job. So, that’s who they are, and we got to make sure that we play the way we know how to play. And I thought tonight, in the second half, we didn’t quit. I was very proud of the guys for not giving up. It would have been easy to lay down, but that’s something we’ve really tried to instill in everybody, no matter if it’s basketball or whatever, you just don’t give up, you just keep fighting to the very end, even if it’s not going your way. And I thought that was one thing we did well tonight.”

Despite the loss, it was a successful season for the Trojans, who finished the season at 21-12, won a share of the regular season district title and eclipsed the 20-win threshold for the second time since 2000.

The loss also saw the high school careers of Will DesGroseilliers, Julian Sexton and TJ Walthall come to a close, who also helped earn a sectional appearance as sophomores.

I couldn’t be prouder of this group of guys, especially these seniors,” Dobyns said. “They’ve worked so hard for four years. They’ve all four been in the program for four years. They fought through a lot of adversity. They fought through some tough times, and to end their career with 21 wins and as conference champions. That doesn’t happen a lot at our school, so I’m going to be proud of them for that and thankful for that group of guys that are in there. They’ve done a whole lot, and they’ve set up a path and a stage forward, and hopefully that’ll be the way things go in the future.

“I’ve seen them all come in as freshmen. I remember when they walked in, and just to see them grow as young men and grow as basketball players, and even just become fine young men. It has been really special to see. Julian and TJ and Will have all grown up. Just the things they do and the kind of people they are and who they represent. I’m proud to know them. I’ve been proud to be their coach and proud to watch them grow up. It’s been fun and special.”

DesGroseilliers and Jake Bunch finished the night with 12 points apiece. Walthall had seven, while Jamere Williams and Anderson Noe each had six.

On the Rebels’ side, Eli Owensby, Luke Sigmond, and Julian Douglas all had double digits with 17, 16 and 15, respectively.

The night started with very few Maryville misses, and the Rebels jumped to an early 6-0 lead before Noe put West on the board with a three.

DesGroseilliers and Bunch put in jumpers and Williams had a layup to keep the deficit at 13-9 until an 11-3 run put Maryville up 24-12 to end the first.

The Rebels put in 13 points on three triples in the first 2:40 of the second quarter. West got a jumper from Bunch and another three from Noe, but Maryville increased the lead to 37-17 and led by 23 at the intermission.

The Trojans defended better in the third, but they still couldn’t find their rhythm on offense as the Rebels scored the first six points, spanning over four minutes.

DesGroseilliers hit a three and Walthall scored back-to-back buckets to make it 52-28 and ended the quarter at 56-31 after a late three from Bunch.

The Maryville lead was stretched to 64-34 early in the fourth, and DesGroseilliers was able to eclipse double digits with a 7-2 run of his own before the seniors checked out for the last time.

Maryville will play in Thursday’s final against Sevier County, and the Trojans now head into the offseason and look to continue the upward trajectory of the program.

“Last year, our seniors kind of set a stage, and then these seniors took it a little bit further,” Dobyns said. “And so the guys coming back, hopefully they’ve seen the work ethic and seen what it takes to get there. And, you know, as coaches, we got to make sure we continue to encourage them and push them and try to become better basketball players and better men as well. So, it all starts all over again here in a few days.”