CHARLESTON — Head coach Dave Tallman and Morgantown High will return to the WVSSAC boys basketball state tournament this year as the Class AAAA No. 1-seed after a heartbreaking, last-second loss in the state championship last year to George Washington.
The Mohigans finished their regular season with a record of 17-4, with none of their four losses coming to a team located within West Virginia. Three of those four losses were by only a combined six points and the Mohigans also handily defeated nationally ranked Bishop Walsh (Cumberland, Md.) 75-58 a week before Christmas. In two sectional games and one regional game, MHS’s lowest margin of victory was 20 points in a win over University 57-37.
Awaiting MHS in the first round Thursday is Musselman, which visited MHS for a game on Feb. 24. MHS had three in double-figures and hit seven triples on its way to a 74-43 shellacking. Despite the large deficit in scoring, the Mohigans found themselves trailing 15-9 early in that game, as Applemen standout Jordan Hughes began 4 of 4 from the field, including three from downtown. MHS will be sure to know where Hughes is at all times.
“We have to come out and play better defensively than we did last time. It was the day after we played bad defense at Wheeling Park and we came out and gave Mussleman a lot of open shots,” Tallman said. “If we play defense like we have been down the stretch, I think we should be better out of the gate, but they are a good team and we definitely have to find [Hughes].”
One year ago, MHS took the floor in the state championship game against George Washington and found itself leading in the fourth quarter before GWHS’s Ben Nicol hit a jumper from the foul line with less than 10 seconds to play. MHS’s Luke Bechtel (now graduated) came up short on the other end, resulting in the Patriots claiming the 2021 title. Tallman knows it’s possible his players may think of that moment when they take the floor at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center once again, but he is confident in his players’ maturity and ability to rise to the occasion.
“For us, it’s good because we’ve been here, last year we had a bunch of new, young players,” Tallman said. “This year, it’s good to have some veterans that have been here, know how it works, shot on these rims. We are looking forward to getting started.”
The Mohigans will open their 2022 championship run in Charleston on Thursday, playing in the opening game of the evening session. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m.
TWEET – @ahhh_griff
