MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — When it comes to quality, Grade A (or AA, or AAA) basketball, class is class, no matter the Class, so when the Morgantown boys hosted North Marion on Wednesday, it was a clash of Class AAA No. 3 against Class AA No. 8.
From the opening tip, the pace was frenetic, the speed impressive, the reflexes sharp, and the defense intense, such that after the first quarter, MHS clung to a narrow 13-11 lead.
A barnburner in the making, perhaps?
Not a chance, as the Mohigans combined their typical smothering pressure defense with some lights-out shooting to outscore the Huskies 49-13 in the middle two quarters to stifle North Marion, 72-35.
The Huskies (18-4), led by All-State candidate Timothy Murphy and lengthy, shot-blocking center Praise Chukwudozie, hung around for the first 10 minutes of the game, but the deep and confident Mohigans (16-3) finally found their shooting touch early in the second quarter. Brooks Gage and Alex Rudy each buried a pair of bombs from beyond the arc, and when NM tried to deny outside, center Carson Poffenberger’s smooth post moves and snap wing passes led to multiple baskets.
MHS opened up its first double digit lead at 24-14 midway through the second quarter, and more strong D and efficient O opened the bulge to 38-19 at the break.
It was much more of the same in the third, as Morgantown doubled up the Huskies at the halfway point of the third and with more scoring from yet another valuable piece off the bench, Alec Poland, Morgantown busted out to a 62-24 lead after three, and cruised to victory.
While the Huskies, averaging over 61 points per game, certainly struggled with their shots all night, Morgantown coach Dave Tallman pointed out that his team’s aggressive, hustling, denial defense likely had a big part in those diminished numbers.
“They got a little tired there, I think,” he speculated, “especially when we kept throwing fresh defenders at them. Murphy was someone we wanted to limit as much as we could – he’s the real deal – and for the most part, we did a good job. Except for two games, the defense has been there all year for us. It’s what we’re all about.”
Unlike earlier in the year, when Tallman continually referred to his offense as “a work in progress,” the Mohigans were controlled, decisive, and deadly, and according to leading scorer Rudy, it’s all about confidence.
“We’ve all put in a ton of work on our own, and it’s really starting to pay off,” he explained. “Coach Tallman allows us to take good shots whenever we get them, and since we’re unselfish, the extra pass or extra two passes usually gets one of us an open look. Carson (Poffenberger) is great with the inside-out game as well, so when we are shooting well, we can be pretty tough to decide who to guard.
“And,” he continued, “if we can just come out ready to play really hard right from the start (referring no doubt to the stinging 30-point loss to University in the OVAC final last weekend), that’s when we are at our best. Play physical, play hard, play strong, and hustle like crazy. That’s what it takes for us to win.”
The Morgantown JV team cruised to a 66-31 win over the Huskies. Brady Davis led the MHS offense with 15 points, and Sebastian Dalton scored 14.
The Mohigans close out their home schedule against Class AA Fairmont Senior at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
