CHARLESTON — The Morgantown High girls’ basketball team reached the Class AAAA championship game Saturday at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, but couldn’t get past the top-ranked Huntington Highlanders and the Gatorade Player of The Year in West Virginia, Dionna Gray.
The Highlanders walked out with a hard-fought 41-36 win, their second-straight state title.
The game began with both teams trading a few baskets, with the pace of play being swift from the tip. Huntington used its rebounding strength to hold MHS to one-shot possessions. The Mohigans struggled from the floor in the first, shooting just 2 of 8 from the field in the first four minutes as they trailed 8-4.
The rest of the quarter found each team slowing their pace and running more offensive sets. Both teams added two more points and HHS led 10-6 after one quarter.
To open the second quarter, MHS found its defense and began to crash the boards. MHS only allowed the Highlanders to add one point to its 10 halfway through the period, but still trailed 11-10.
The Mohigans grabbed their first lead on a lay-up by freshman Sadaya Jones with 2:10 remaining in the half. Revaya Sweeney grabbed a missed free throw from Jones and Lindsay Bechtel added two more for MHS as it led 14-11 with 90 seconds to play until the break.
Out of a timeout with 40 seconds to play, both teams committed a turnover. MHS found itself attempting to hold for the last shot of the half, and attempting to hold HHS to just two points in the quarter. A tie-up gave the Highlanders possession and with no time remaining, Gray pulled up from 3 and buried it at the horn to give HHS the lead going into the half at 15-14. Despite the deficit, MHS outshot HHS by 10 (29 to 19) but only made five of those.
Jada Turner opened scoring in the second half with a layup for HHS. Two empty possessions for the Mohigans gave their opponents four more points as HHS built a lead to 7 points. Bechtel connected on two free throws for MHS, however, to get it within five at 21-16.
“You gotta give Dionna Gray and Imani Hickman and that group a ton of credit,” said MHS Jason White, who coached his final game with the Mohigans. “The moment they had a lead they spread us out and made us work.”
The Highlanders took a 10-4 scoring advantage in the third on a lay-up by Amara Jackson for her 8th point of the game. MHS struggled on the offensive end on multiple possessions, increasing the gap to seven points at 25-18 in favor of HHS.
Down nine and with the game getting intense, MHS found five quick points to bring itself within four, but couldn’t find a third consecutive stop as Imani Hickman was fouled after an offensive rebound and follow. She missed the free throw to keep our score at 29-23 going into the final quarter.
MHS claimed the opening basket for this quarter, as Lily Jordan connected on a lay-up in the paint. A turnover by the Highlanders gave MHS the ball back and Bechtel cleaned up a missed triple by Henkins for her 6th point as MHS cut a 6-point deficit to just two in the blink of an eye.
Coming out of a timeout, with the ball, HHS looked to extend the lead with its first points of the fourth. An errant pass would find its way out of bounds and back to MHS down by two, 29-27, with 5:30 to play in the game.
“We had a good trap and a big turnover and tried to capitalize but Dionna is so crafty with the ball. She gets an and-1 then Hickman does the same,” White said.
Hickman converted another and-1 for HHS as MHS went 1 of 4 from the free throw line in back-to-back possessions. The Highlanders lead sat at 32-28 with three minutes to play.
Once again, Gray hit a big shot for HHS with a triple to make the lead two possessions at six, 35-29 with 2:30 to play. Another pair of Bechtel free throws would cut the lead to four.
Two free throws from Gray gave HHS another 6-point lead, but not for long as Jordan banked in a 3 to cut the lead in half. Gray missed the second FT of a one-and-one. MHS pulled down the rebound and sophomore Sofia Wassick took the ball and put it in the basket to cut the lead to two points with 30 second remaining and HHS with the ball.
Gray would then come in clutch for her team again, this time on the defensive side as she stole the ball from Mia Henkins and passed to Jada Turner who would be fouled. She converted both FTs to make the lead 40-36. HHS would add one more free throw and seal the class AAAA girls state basketball championship by a final score of 41-36.
Morgantown finish the season with a record of 22-5 overall.
“What a season, I couldn’t be more proud of the kids here and the ones in the locker room,” White said as he reflected on the season. “One senior and all these kids [Bechtel, Jordan, Wassick, Hawkins] are coming back next year. We got a lot of experience out of this year and these kids will be back.”
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