MORGANTOWN – The top ranked MHS boys basketball team welcomed the Bridgeport Indians into the Rowdie Center on Tuesday night looking to get back in the win column after a loss to Dover (Oh.) over the weekend.
The Mohigans (19-2) built a lead as large as 18 points in the game, but turnovers and foul trouble allowed the Indians (12-5) to battle back from trailing by 13 points entering the fourth quarter, 58-45. After a 22-12 deficit after the opening quarter, and trailing by 13 at the half, BHS outscored the MHS by 9 in the second half in a comeback bid that fell just short.
Anthony Spatafore led all scorers for BHS with 18 points on the night. He was joined in double figures by teammates Ashton Curry (11) and Ben Bifano (13).
Junior Izzy Everett led the way for MHS with 17 points off of the bench. Seniors Cam Danser and Brody Davis joins Everett at the double digit mark with 14 and 11, respectively.
“Bridgeport did a great job tonight, you have to give credit to their players and staff,” MHS head coach Dave Tallman said. “We have a lot of work to do, I was a little disappointed in our maturity tonight and our execution overall.”
One reason Bridgeport was able to cut the 13-point lead to just three, 65-63, in the fourth quarter was the poor execution by MHS on offense that Tallman alluded to.
Halfway through the final frame, MHS had only scored 2 points in 4 minutes and BHS finally cut its deficit to single digits at 60-52 with four minutes to play and the following few possessions deeming crucial to the game.
Out of an MHS timeout, three straight offensive possessions would result in three straight turnovers and layups for BHS, who trailed by only three, 63-60, after Anthony Spatafore converted a three-point play off of the third steal of the three.
“They were playing some good half court man,” Tallman said of the defense by BHS in the fourth that forced the turnovers. “We just kept throwing it to the red jerseys, so no excuses. We have to be able to count on our guys.”
Spatafore split a pair of free throws, and MHS converted two to make the lead 65-61 in favor of the home team with 2 minutes to play. Ashton Curry made a quick layup for the Indians to cut the deficit to a one-possession game once again after another MHS turnover with 45 seconds to go.
But good free throw shooting would make the difference down the stretch for MHS. Senior Brody Davis made four in a row in the final minute of the game to seal it for his team on senior night, but not without a battle from BHS.
The Mohigans will have more than a week off before they return home for a huge matchup next Thursday in a rematch of the 2021 Class AAAA state title game between MHS and George Washington.
The Patriots enter the latest AP poll at no. 3 and will look to take advantage of the absence of MHS guard Sha-Ron Young who has missed the last five games with a broken shooting hand.
“We have to grow up a little bit (before the game against GW),” Tallman said. “Last year we had a bunch of guys that were hungry and had a goal and didn’t have an off day. We need better leadership and some guys to step up a little bit.”
Morgantown 70, Bridgeport 66
MHS 22 22 14 12 – 70
BHS 12 19 14 21 – 66
Morgantown – Everett 6 3-3 17; Davis 4 2-4 11; Danser 5 2-3 14; Kisner 3 0-0 6; Shrewsberry 1 0-0 3; Neal 2 4-6 8; Johnson 3 0-0 7; Savage 1 0-0 2
Bridgeport – Spatafore 4 9-13 18; Ayoob 2 0-0 6; Curry 2 7-9 11; Randolph 2 4-4 8; Bifano 5 1-1 13; Sanders 2 0-0 6; Sickles 1 2-4 4
3pt goals – MHS 7 (Danser 2, Everett 2, Davis 1, Shrewsberry 1, Johnson 1); BHS 7 (Ayoob 2, Bifano 2, Sanders 2, Spatafore 1).
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