MORGANTOWN — All five starters scored in double-figures for Morgantown (13-3) as it defeated Brooke (10-5) 98-54 in an OVAC tournament semifinal Tuesday night inside the Rowdie Center.
The Mohigans established dominance on their home court early, as they came out to score the first 10 points of the game on their way to a 30-point opening quarter, which at one point saw a score of 24-2 in favor of the home squad. At that point, six different players had registered points for MHS and with 11 made shots as a team. BHS only had three.
The second saw continuation from the previous quarter, with MHS shooting the lights out as the deficit swelled to 23 points, 33-10. Offense came easy for the Mohigans, who, at one point in the second quarter, had more made shots (16) than BHS had attempted shots (15).
One major key for the Mohigans when it comes to their shot attempts is their pressure defense in the full-court. Their athleticism and length causes their opponents to turn the ball over, allowing MHS to run in transition. Morgantown senior Jalen Goins contributed 10 points offensively, but it was on the boards and defensive end that he affected the game most.
“We knew coming in that we needed to take care of business,” Goins said. “With the press, we speed them up and it allows us to get run-outs and everyone runs the floor hard.”
The Bruins struggled against the speed of MHS and despite shooting 50% from the floor and 14 of 17 from the free-throw line, it was the number on attempts that was the difference. MHS shot the ball 63 times to just 35 times for BHS.
A 25-point halftime lead would continue to grow for MHS. Not without the Bruins, particularly senior guard Cole Sperlazza, putting up some find of fight in the second half.
Sperlazza was the bright spot for his team, scoring 26 points on 6 of 8 shooting, including 9 of 10 from the line. With a free throw in the fourth quarter, Sperlazza earned his 1000th career point in a Brooke uniform, something he has always looked forward to.
“When I got to Brooke, we had a losing culture and the goal was to just turn it around,” Sperlazza said. “I’ve always dreamt about 1,000 points and I couldn’t do it without my teammates.”
After being outscored by 25 in the first half, the Bruins maintained to keep within nine points of the Mohigans in the second half, led by Sperlazza.
Morgantown will continue on to the OVAC championship game on Saturday when they face Dover (Ohio) at South Harrison High School in Ohio.
Brooke (10-5)
Cole Sperlazza 8 9-10 26 Alex Isinghood 17 4-6 16 Ryan Knox 4 1-1 6 Jason Varner 4 0-0 4 Braelyn Sperringer 1 0-0 2
Morgantown (13-3)
Alec Poland 9 4-4 21 Brody Davis 10 0-0 19 Brooks Gage 9 0-0 16 Jalen Goins 8 1-1 10 Sharron Young 10 2-4 10 Cam Danser 6 1-2 9 Ethan Marra 3 0-0 6 Koma Neal 3 0-0 4 Jacob King 3 0-0 2 Brady Savage 0 1-2 1
MORGANTOWN 30 25 28 15 – 98
BROOKE 10 10 22 14 – 54
3-pointers: Morgantown 13 (Davis 5, Gage 4, Poland 3, Goins 1); Brooke 6 (Sperlazza 5, Knox 1)
