MORGANTOWN — It was easy to see why the Martinsburg High basketball team came into the state championship matchup against University with an unblemished 27-0 record.
The Bulldogs averaged over 79 points per game. They had three double-digit scorers in Telryn Villa, Grant Harman and Teddy Marshall.
It was clear who the Hawks needed to slow down in order to win their program’s first state title. When the final horn sounded at the Charleston Coliseum, Marshall had 17 points, but Villa was held to eight. Harman, Martinsburg’s leading scorer, scored just six as University (24-4) prevailed 51-45 for the Class AAA crown.
Harman was 3-of-15 from the field — including 0-of-7 from 3-point range — and Villa shot 3-of-11 overall. Marshall made only 5-of-16.
The Bulldogs (27-1) were held to 27 percent from the floor and 15 percent from 3. Their 45 points was the second-lowest output of the season (43 points against Hedgesville on Jan. 25).
“We knew we had to force them into a halfcourt game,” Hawks coach Joe Schmidle said. I know we like to get the ball up and down the floor, but no one ever talks about how good we are on defense. We’re pretty good, we’re real good, and we take a lot of pride in it. I know we might score 80 most nights, but give credit where credit is due.
“Defense takes heart, defense takes effort, and these guys have that.”
The Hawks allowed 51.2 points per game this season in 28 games, but their ability to create chaos, force turnovers and score off those turnovers is what they thrived on.
UHS averaged 12 steals per game and had a 1.06 steal-to-turnover ratio. Point guard Kaden Metheny led the team with 104 steals, followed by K.J. McClurg with 75. The dynamic duo played the top of the press and forced turnovers near halfcourt, which led to runouts and easy transition baskets.
In the state tournament against Musselman, Cabell Midland and Martinsburg, the Hawks scored 50 total points off turnovers.
The one stat where the Bulldogs held the clear advantage was in rebounding — they pulled down 12 more rebounds than the Hawks, and 24 of their 41 boards came on the offensive side.
Martinsburg had 20 second chance points and scored 10 from the free throw line.
University “is a lot like us in that they like to switch when they can,” Martinsburg coach Dave Rogers said. “It’s tough sometimes to get some shots off. I think there were times when we weren’t as patient as we should be to try and get the shot we need, but you have those nights.
“Still, they have pretty good guards out front that can control the game a little bit.”
