MORGANTOWN — High school teams from West Virginia, no matter how successful, are sometimes scrutinized and even marginalized as perhaps the proverbial “big fish in a small pond.” So when host Morgantown tipped off Saturday afternoon against internationally recruited Bishop Walsh in the G-Force Holiday Classic, the measuring sticks were out in full force.
Make no mistake, the Spartans from Cumberland, Md. — with a starting line-up consisting of a 7-foot center, a pair of 6-foot-8 forwards, and two 6-0 guards — represented a seriously big fish.
But even though they were facing highly-touted, highly talented college prospects from New York City, Washington, D.C., London, Lithuania and Israel, the Mohigans showed that hard work, teamwork, intensity and fundamentally sound play counts as talent, too, as they overcame a 7-point second quarter deficit to deliver a surprisingly comfortable upset victory, 75-58.
Lengthy and athletic, Bishop Walsh (5-4) was able to attack the MHS man defense, especially through penetration from guard T.J. Robinson and swingman Travis Roberts. But Morgantown sophomore point guard Sha-Ron Young matched his defender’s quicks and nailed a pair of step-back 3s and a mid-range jumper to keep it close early. When Jalen Goins followed with a triple and a baseline 2, MHS had its first lead with 1:30 left, 13-11. However, the explosive Roberts and Robinson scored seven straight for an 18-13 Spartans advantage after the first quarter.
Morgantown coach Dave Tallman switched to a match-up zone to help to slow down the Bishop Walsh offense, and decided to spread the floor on offense, and both strategies proved very effective.
“We needed to use more help defending the ball, and the guys executed very well,” he said. “And they were doing such a great job of switching on our screens that we decided to just spread out, pass and cut, look for the open man, utilize our skill set. And we executed there, too.”
Indeed they did, as the Mohigans’ accuracy from behind the arc once again proved a difference-maker. Young’s break-down ability forced extra defensive attention, and he was able to dish for wide open looks, leading to an impressive five second quarter bombs. MHS outscored BW 25-14 in the second quarter to flip the advantage to 38-32 at the break.
Up by 6, and with another half to play, Morgantown knew they would get the Spartans’ most pressurized push back early in the third, and indeed, Bishop Walsh employed both a full-court press and an up-tempo offense — but the Mohigans wisely let some of the air out of the basketball, grinding carefully through some perimeter weaving to burn some clock. Crashing the boards on defense, with a solid emphasis on blocking out, prevented second chance points, as well.
Each time the Spartans crept to within a two-possession game, there was Brooks Gage to make a basket, or Alec Poland to fearlessly drive to the goal and get to the line. The quarter ended with MHS up by an additional bucket, 51-43.
The pattern repeated throughout the final frame, as well — the fans anticipating an extended Spartans run, and the Mohigans beating it back with solid defense and patient offense. When BW started to foul to extend the game, MHS toed the line and buried their free throws — and the Spartans — hitting an impressive 12 of 15 down the stretch.
And then, almost suddenly, it became clear that the big run wasn’t coming, and then the players were in the middle of a student section celebratory moshpit at center court following the final buzzer.
Tallman was especially impressed with his team’s poise, in particular seniors Gage, Goins and game MVP Alec Poland, who led all scorers with 24 points.
“We weren’t intimidated at all, including Alec, who kept taking it to the rim and drawing contact,” he said. “Why colleges aren’t recruiting this kid more is beyond me. He shot 56% from three last season, and he just showed he can play against high level competition. They all did.
“All those outside shots that go down are the result of hard work. These guys stick around and shoot after every practice, and it’s paying off. They work hard to get proper positioning for rebounds, and it showed tonight. I’m really proud of them, and glad that they can see how preparation can lead to good things.”
Gage (who scored 13 in the win) was also all smiles after the game.
“I think this is the most exciting game I’ve ever played,” he said. “When shots fell for us early, it calmed us down and let us settle in. We know that hard work has brought us here, and so I know we won’t stop working hard.”
Goins finished with 16 points, including a big three and both ends of a 1-and-1 in the fourth when the margin was just six points, and credits his teammates’ response to the pressure.
“We stayed calm and composed,” he said. “We never got rattled, even when we were down early. There was no panic, and it felt great to take control and keep it in the second half. This was big for us.”
Based on this impressive performance, it looks like one of the top of the food chain predator fish swimming around in the WVSSAC Class AAAA boys basketball pond — or just about any pond, for that matter — might have just been spotted.
The Mohigans travel across town to face rival University at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Bishop Walsh (5-4)
Mikey Allen 2 1-1 6 T. J. Robinson 4 4-4 12 Daniel Dormu 1 0-0 2 Mike Williams 7 0-0 15 Travis Roberts 9 0-0 21 William Patterson 1 0-0 2 Totals 24 5-6 58
MORGANTOWN (4-0)
Brooks Gage 4 3-4 13 Sha-ron Young 3 2-2 10 Brody Davis 3 1-2 9 Jalen Goins 6 2-2 16 Alec Poland 6 10-11 24 Ethan Marra 1 0-0 3 Totals 23 18-21 75
Bishop Walsh 18 14 11 15 – 58
Morgantown 13 25 13 24 – 75
3-pointers – BW 5 (Roberts 3, Williams, Allen), MHS 11 (Gage 2, Poland 2, Davis 2, Young 2, Goins 2, Marra)
