MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – It’s always an attention-grabbing rarity when two top-ranked teams meet, so when the No. 1 Morgantown boys hosted No. 1 Robert C. Byrd Saturday afternoon, it was an exciting clash of the current titans of Class AAAA and Class AAA.
While the Mohigans have been perennial state title contenders and had begun the year with four straight victories, the Flying Eagles were flying high on a remarkable 25-game winning streak, so something would certainly have to give. This time, it was RCB who did the taking, as they nailed three straight triples on their way to a quick 11-0 start, leading wire-to-wire in a convincing 69-56 road win.
The combination of Gavin Kennedy and Brison Lucas was consistently active and prolific throughout the game, as Lucas drilled two early buckets and Kennedy’s tenacious defensive pressure kept the Mohigans (4-1) tentative and uncomfortable. The MHS side of the scoreboard stayed at zero until the 3:05 mark, something Mohigans fans certainly aren’t accustomed to seeing, and while a mini offensive flurry from Brooks Gage and Luke Bechtel closed the gap to six, a Blake Meighan 3-pointer and a steal and score from Kennedy restored the RCB double-digit lead after the first quarter, 19-9.
Surprisingly, the Mohigans would not slice the lead below double digits the rest of the way, and the Flying Eagles controlled the pace of play, kept their defensive intensity at a feverish level, and were monstrous on both the offensive and defensive glass, especially forward Jeremiah King. The Flying Eagles (3-0), energized from a powerful drive a dunk from Lucas, steadily expanded their lead to 19 points at the break, 38-19.
The pushback from the talented Mohigans finally kicked in early in the second half, as a 10-2 run closed the gap to 44-33, but several offensive possessions that could’ve whittled the RCB lead to single digits – most notably a Bechtel three-pointer that swirled around and out that could’ve gotten MHS to within eight – just couldn’t be converted. Up by 10 to start the final quarter, a conventional 3-point play from Lucas – on his way to a game-high 22 points – put the Flying Eagles up by 14, and the Mohigans never threatened down the stretch.
A long post-game team discussion in the MHS locker room seemed to suggest that perhaps the Mohigans were more than a little concerned with the results and their performance, but veteran coach Dave Tallman suggested otherwise.
“We’re not concerned at all,” he said. “We’re looking at the regular season basically as 17 scrimmages before the big tournament at end of the year. And you have to give RCB all the credit today. They haven’t won 26 in a row by accident. They are quick, talented, coached very well, and they played very, very hard all game long. They earned and deserved this one.
“They came ready to play, and we didn’t, and that’s 100% on me,” Tallman continued. “Today’s game exposed some of our weaknesses – defense and rebounding are at the top of the list for sure – but that just points out what we need to work on and improve. We believe in our group, and this will make us better.”
The Mohigans next play at home schedule against Buckhannon-Upshur on Monday, the tip set for 7:30 p.m.
BOX SCORE
RCB (3-0) 19 19 13 20 – 69
MHS (4-1) 9 10 22 15 – 56
RCB: Xavier Lopez 0 1-2 1; Gavin Kennedy 7 5-6 21; Nathaniel Jenkins 1 0-0 2; Brison Lucas 9 2-3 22; Blake Meighen 2 1-2 6; Jeremiah King 3 4-6 11; Tommy Hawkins 2 2-5 6. Totals: 24 15-24 69.
MHS: Luke Bechtel 6 0-2 14; Brooks Gage 3 0-0 8; Xavier Pryor 3 3-3 9; Carson Poffenberger 3 1-2 7; Sha-Ron Young 6 0-1 13; Alec Poland 1 2-2 5. Totals: 22 6-10 56
3-pointers – RCB 6 (Kennedy 2, Lucas 2, Meighan, King); MHS 6 (Bechtel 2, Young, Poland, Gage 2).
Fouled Out – RCB 1 (Kennedy).
