MORGANTOWN — Crosstown rivals University and Morgantown have clashed three times on the hardwood this winter. On March 14, they’ll meet one final time, in the only game of the series that matters in the end.
The two squads will face each other in the opening round of the WVSSAC Class AAA state basketball championships, with tip-off scheduled for 7:15 p.m., at the Charleston Civic Center.
“Everyone wants to talk about the fact that it’s the fourth time, but at this point in time, none of it matters,” UHS head coach Joe Schmidle said.
“It’s the postseason. It’s the start of a brand new season. Those other three games mean nothing. Their kids know that, and our kids know that. You lose here, and you go home.”
For the Mohigans, it’s a shot at redemption, one final chance to knock off a team that handed them three losses so far this season. Head coach Dave Tallman said his team is champing at the bit for the opportunity.
“The atmosphere is pretty focused,” he said. “Our guys are on a mission. They’re excited for the opportunity to play UHS for a fourth time.”
The Hawks, meanwhile, are searching for redemption of their own. They entered the tournament last March as a two seed but bowed out to Huntington before they could reach the final. Since that loss, the Hawks have been determined to earn the state championship that was just within their grasp last time.
“They’re very businesslike. These guys have had the same goal. We went last year as a number two seed and lost in the semifinals,” Schmidle said. “It left a bad taste in our mouth. These guys have been ready to get back down there and try to win a state championship.”
Before they hold up the trophy, though, they’ll have to put down the Mohigans for the fourth time in just over two months. It’s a tall task to handle against one of the elite defenses in the state, but Schmidle said his team is not the least bit nervous.
“We’re just as confident as they probably are,” he said. “I think we’ve got to come out and execute and play our game. That’s about it, really. I think whichever team does that the best will be the one that comes out on top.”
Tallman, for his part, thinks his team is as ready as it can be.
“We’ve had our best practices of the season, and I think we have a good game plan ready for tomorrow,” he said. “We just have to tighten up things defensively. We’ve given up too many offensive rebounds and fast break points to them before. We can’t do that if we want to be successful.”
The major question mark with MHS is still offensively, though. The Mohigans have struggled throughout the season. Tallman said his team just needs to do well shooting the ball, and he believes the Mohigans are coming along in that aspect at the correct time.
“Offensively, we just have to execute, and I think we’ve been doing that lately,” he said. “We just have to hope the ball goes in the basket for us.”
The winner of the game will advance to the semi-final round of the state tournament and will face the victor of a match-up between Martinsburg and Woodrow Wilson. The semi-finals will take place Friday evening.
— Single-session tickets for the state boys’ basketball tournaments are available via ticketmaster.com for $9 (the price is subject to fees).
Single-session tickets also are available at the Charleston Civic Center box office.
General seating is $8, reserved seating $9.
You may still obtain book tickets of reserved seating for all eight sessions of the tournament for $64. They are available at the Civic Center box office or at 304-345-7469 (SHOW).
