MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – While a thriller was taking place on the other side of Region I between Wheeling Park and Morgantown, it was business as usual on Bakers Ridge as No. 1 University claimed its half of the regional title, defeating John Marshall, 94-48.
The win marks the fourth straight trip to Charleston for the Hawks (22-3).
“I thought it was a little sloppy, but you have those nights,” UHS coach Joe Schmidle said. “I think coming off that Morgantown win we lost focus a little bit. We’ve got a week to get the guys refocused and back on track. I know they’ll respond.”
Though sloppy, luckily guard duo K.J. McClurg and Kaden Metheny were there to stoke the embers, combining for 23 of UHS’s 25 points in the first quarter. McClurg capped the half with five more points in the second quarter to pace the Hawks with 20 heading into the half as UHS maintained a 42-17 lead. It also helped that John Marshall was sloppier, fouling nine times in the first half giving UHS 10 free points in the first half alone.
Despite facing an unsurmountable deficit, John Marshall (8-17) returned from the break refreshed to pick up where they left off, but whenever the Monarchs picked up any heat the Hawks were there to dash their hopes. McClurg netted 12 more points, while Metheny backed him up with eight to push UHS to a 66-28 lead at the end of the third.
With a ticket to Charleston just eight minutes away, Schmidle retired his seniors and three of his remaining starters for a brand new lineup. The reserves – Ryan Niceler, Blake Barkley, T.T. Brooks, Jaden Hammock and Elijah Jackson – added 28 more points in the final stanza to put the final nails in the Monarchs’ coffin. It was time to pull out the ladder, cue “We Are the Champions” and cut up the nets.
“[The win] feels great. I’m proud of the kids,” Schmidle said. “We knew if we could get past Morgantown we had a good chance to win tonight’s game. We made it through the night, no one got hurt and everyone got to play. We’re excited to see who we play in the first round [in Charleston].
McClurg finished his three quarters with a game-high 32 points while Metheny added 20. McClurg had four assists, four rebounds and five steals, while Metheny accounted for five assists, three boards and three steals. Freshman Jaden Hammock was the only other player in double digits with 11 points, all coming in the fourth quarter.
Derrow paced the Monarchs with 20 points. No other player hit double digits.
“As long as we’re making shots and their intensity and energy levels are high, I think they’ll be just fine,” Schmidle said. “They’re sharing the ball wonderfully, we’re playing much better defense and our players coming off the bench have gotten a lot better. We’re a lot deeper than we were at the beginning of the year.”
University begins the tournament against No. 8 St. Albans at 7:15 p.m. next Wednesday.
Hello, Charleston
Just because the Hawks have cleared regionals doesn’t mean they’re in the clear. That’s apparent from watching the upsets from around the state, namely Wheeling Parks’ 57-54 upset of Morgantown.
This isn’t something Schmidle is unaware of, nor something he’s going to let slide by. But based on previous experience, he knows his team is in a good spot to make it deep into the bracket.
“We’ve been a No. 1 or No. 2 seed each time we’ve gone down. When you’re going down as one of the top seeds you feel like you have a chance,” he said. “The format benefits teams that are [No. 1 or No. 2], it gives you a day off so you don’t have to play three games in three days. But once you get down there anything can happen, it’s anybody’s game. You’ve got to show up and play, there aren’t any bad teams down there.”
The Hawks are battling to retain their triple-A title after defeating then-No. 1 Martinsburg last year, 51-45.
Getting crap, for what?
In the last few weeks, Schmidle has been either asked about or talked about for leaving in his starters regardless of the Hawks’ lead. His response each time has been, “If they leave their starters in, I leave mine in.”
A valid strategy.
That wasn’t the case against the Monarchs. Schmidle made the first move to pull his starters on Tuesday, probably more in an attempt to stave off any random injury than to make a point. But regardless, it wasn’t a JV vs. Varsity match in the final eight minutes. Rather, his reserves looked just as good as his starters, exploding in the final stanza to break within the century mark.
“A lot of my reserves would start for most people,” he said. “They’ve gotten better because they practice against Methenys and McClurgs every day. That’s going to make anybody better. They play hard in practice and come off the bench with energy with the desire to play hard, and I think that carries over. It’s a thing my younger guys see and see how that makes them better. It’s exciting to see them and anticipate what they’ll be like next year.”
Last leg of the journey for the seniors
Some coaches don’t get enough credit for how much they care about their seniors. Schmidle wasn’t close to tears during the net cutting ceremony, but it was clear he was upset that Tuesday night was the final home game for his senior class.
“I don’t like to talk about it because it makes me sad. It makes me really sad,” he said when asked about McClurg and Metheny. “Not only are they excellent basketball players, they’re fine young men. The amount of work and time we’ve spent together, the legacy they’ve left and championships they’ve won – our trophy case has more trophies in it since those two got here as freshman than it probably has in the last 90 years as far as basketball goes. It’s unbelievable what they’ve accomplished. They’ve earned it. They’ve worked really hard. I’m really proud of them. I’ll miss all these guys a lot.”
BOX SCORE
JOHN MARSHALL (8-17)
Derrow 8 0-0 20; Frohnapfel 3 0-0 8; Babicuzak 2 4-6 8; O’Bryar 2 0-0 4; Gray 1 1-3 3; Korngiver 1 0-0 3; Gilbert 0 2-2 2. Totals: 17 7-11 48.
UNIVERSITY (22-3)
McClurg 13 2-3 32; Metheny 8 3-4 20; Hammack 5 0-0 11; Forbes 1 6-8 8; Barkley 1 3-4 6; Niceler 2 0-0 4; Brooks 2 0-0 4; Jackson 1 0-0 3; Maumbe 1 0-0 2; Smith 1 0-0 2; Mazza 0 2-2 2. Totals: 34 18-23 94.
JMHS 6 11 11 20 – 48
UHS 25 17 24 28 – 94
3-pointers: JMHS 7 (Derrow 4, Frohnapfel 2, Korngiver); UHS 8 (McClurg 4, Metheny, Barkley, Hammack, Jackson)
2020 CLASS AAA TOURNAMENT
Class AAA seedings
- University
- Martinsburg
- George Washington
- Cabell Midland
- Hedgesville
- Wheeling Park
- Parkersburg South
- St. Albans
Wednesday, March 18:
Game 1 – No. 2 Martinsburg vs. No. 7 Parkersburg South, 11:15 a.m.
Game 2 – No. 1 University vs. No. 8 St. Albans, 7:15 p.m.
Thursday, March 19:
Game 3 – No. 4 Cabell Midland vs. No. 5 Hedgesville, 11:15 a.m.
Game 4 – No. 3 George Washington vs. No. 6 Wheeling Park, 7:15 p.m.
Friday, March 20:
Game 5 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 5:30 p.m.
Game 6 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 21:
Game 7 – Championship, 7:15 p.m.
