MORGANTOWN – The Morgantown girls’ basketball team earned its second top-ten win inside the Rowdie Center in 24 hours Saturday afternoon by defeating the third-ranked Cabell Midland Lady Knights 55-44.
On Friday night, MHS (10-3) defeated University 42-40 before turning around to play on Saturday but didn’t miss a beat against CMHS. The Mohigans outscored the Lady Knights by ten points in the fourth after entering the final frame with a 38-37 lead to earn their tenth win of the season.
“I think our desire to win the game made the difference,” MHS head coach Doug Goodwin said after the victory. “We stepped up the pressure a bit and defended more patiently. We gave Sofia (Wassick) more room and she was able to get through the defense better. Their desire to not let the game slip away made the difference, though.”
CMHS standout and 1,000-point scorer Jayda Allie scored 16 points in the opening quarter, shooting 4 for 4 from three, but scored only five points in total for the final three quarters for 21 points overall.
Allie led her team with 21 points, but it was MHS’s Lily Jordan with 25 who led all scorers. The Mohigan junior shot 9 for 17 from close range, including a perfect 7 for 7 from the free throw line.
“She was on another level tonight,” Goodwin said. “When she’s confident in what she’s doing, she is key for us. She got the ball to the basket, finished her free throws, rebounded the ball. She was great.”
Despite the 11-point finish, MHS led by only a single point entering the fourth quarter on a Lindsey Bechtel layup at the buzzer. The Lady Knights even grabbed early momentum in the final quarter on a three-pointer on offense and a forced turnover on defense.
But after a few stagnant minutes, MHS took a one-point lead on a layup by Jordan with 4:44 on the clock. Then on the ensuing inbounds play, MHS senior Kate Hawkins deflected the inbounds pass that eventually found its way to Jordan, who was fouled and converted the free throw for a quick five-point swing that gave MHS a 47-41 lead it wouldn’t surrender.
Good defense and free throw shooting down the stretch sealed the deal for the Mohigans and they missed just two total (12/14) in the game.
The Mohigans will turn around and host Wheeling Park, one of the hottest teams in the state, on Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Morgantown 55, Cabell Midland 44
MHS 13 14 11 17 – 55
CMHS 19 6 12 7 – 44
Morgantown – Wassick 6 0-0 8 Jordan 20 7-7 25; Hawkins 5 2-3 7; Bechtel 7 3-4 15
Cabell Midland – Wheeler 8 1-2 12; Aldridge 2 1-4 1; Graves 3 3-4 5; Allie 14 2-2 21; Parsons 4 2-7 5
3pt goals – CMHS 9 (Allie 5, Wheeler 3, Parson 1); MHS 5 (Wassick 2, Bechtel 2, Hawkins 1).
