CHARLESTON, W.Va. – What started as a possible thumping turned into a nail-biter at the Charleston Civic Center for the 4A quarterfinal matchup between No. 4 Morgantown and No. 5 Wheeling Park.
Up just two after Park netted two free throws, and with 3.7 seconds on the clock, Morgantown held strong to pull out a 57-54 win.
Still, this wasn’t an unfamiliar sight, considering the Mohigans (12-2) and Patriots (15-4) had seen each other three times before Thursday’s game. The last time they saw each other was the sectional championship – a competitive meeting for some, but an ugly battle to MHS coach Jason White.
“It’s been a crazy season and we’ve had to battle through a lot of adversity,” White said. “It’s always an accomplishment to get to the state tournament, then we find out we’ll play Wheeling Park for a fourth time. The sectional battle looked really ugly because both teams are so familiar with one another.”
The key this time around was getting Park’s star forward Bella Abernathy out of the game as fast as possible, getting her to pick up multiple early fouls. That worked as first, giving Kaitlyn Ammons and Cat Wassick room to work.
Ammons put up six points in the first four minutes and continued to feed the bucket, while Wassick knocked down shots outside the arc with three 3-pointers to give the Mohigans a 21-5 lead at the end of the first frame. Park, uncharacteristically stymied, woke up in the second quarter to chase the Mohigans, cutting the deficit to just five heading into halftime at 30-25.
Following the break, Morgantown once again jumped out to a double-digit at the end of the third, ending the frame 13 points up at 45-32. In the fourth, Park, once again, caught fire and methodically chipped away at the deficit. With four minutes off the clock, Morgantown led by six and with both teams slow to find points through nearly three minutes, Bella Abernathy sank two free throws to cut MHS’s lead by four.
The Mohigans found room, trading buckets to maintain a five-point lead with under a minute left, but, despite Park managing to bring it within two, MHS held on for the win.
“We focused on just going play by play,” Ammons said. “If we focus on the outcome, we won’t be successful. I didn’t expect us to come out like that, because usually, it’s back and forth with them.”
Ammons led the team with 20 points and five blocks, while Wassick had 19 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Sofia Wassick had 10 points, three assists and three steals. Further, MHS was 20 of 37 (54%) from the floor, hit 40% of their 3-point attempts and was 13 of 21 (61.9%) from the line
Though scoreless, senior Berit Johnson took three charges, giving MHS possession back in critical moments. According to White, the team had only totaled one charge the entire season.
“Berit opened up so much for us by playing defense the way she did,” Ammons said.
Abernathy, despite three personal fouls, led the Patriots with 14 points and seven rebounds. Asia Roby tacked on 11 points and six steals, and Lindsey Garrison and Sophie Abraham each had 10. In total, Park was 16 of 45 (35.5%) from the floor and 16 of 23 (69.5%) from the free throw line.
Ammons has seen Abernathy every year since 5th grade and knew with her in foul trouble she could work her magic.
“It’s tough playing against her (Abernathy),” she said. “I’ve played against Bella every year since 5th grade whether it be in school or AAU. When she goes out of the game, I know that it’s time for me to do my job and take advantage.”
With the win, Morgantown redeems last year’s quarterfinals loss and will move on to face No. 1 Huntington. Although the “Semifinal Friday” is his favorite day of the tournament, White notes that the Highlanders’ spread floor will be tough to break.
“An excellent team,” he said. “Been No. 1 most of the season and rightfully so; good, quick guards that can really play and they match that with bigs that are strong and physical.”
The Mohigans-Highlanders semifinal round begins at 5:30 p.m.
WHEELING PARK (15-4)
Bella Abernathy 4 6-11 14; Asia Roby 3 2-2 11; Lindsey Garrison 2 5-6 10; Sophie Abraham 3 3-4 10; Natalie Daugherty 1 0-0 3; Naliah Lekanudos 1 0-0 2; Maggie Stakem 1 0-0 2; Zariah Marling 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16 16-23 54.
MORGANTOWN (12-2)
Kaitlyn Ammons 10 0-0 20; Cat Wassick 5 6-8 19; Sofia Wassick 3 4-8 10; Lindsay Bechtel 2 2-2 7; Revaya Sweeney 0 1-2 1. Totals: 20 13-21 57.
WP 5 20 7 22 – 54
MHS 21 9 15 12 – 57
3-pointers: WP 6 (Roby 3, Garrison, Abraham, Daugherty); MHS 4 (Cat Wassick 3, Bechtel).
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