MORGANTOWN – University High School girls’ basketball coach Nick Lusk knows that his team has been tested early on in the season.
UHS defeated George Washington (a state semifinalist a year ago) 66-57 to open the season before dropping its next two contests to Morgantown (60-41) and Laurel Highlands (49-46).
The Hawks then traveled to Myrtle Beach for the annual Beach Ball Classic last weekend and returned to Baker’s Ridge with two impressive victories before falling in the championship.
UHS defeated Northridge High School (Oh.) 51-47 on Friday in a game it trailed by double-figures. Northridge entered the weekend with a 6-1 record. The Hawks followed Friday’s victory with a 61-55 over Lower Richland, the No. 2 ranked team in Class AAAA in South Carolina. It was the first loss of the season for the previous 9-0 Diamonds.
“The biggest takeaway from our trip for us was showing that we can play with any opponent on any day when we truly play together,” Lusk said. “We beat some great teams this weekend, including the second-ranked team in South Carolina in quad-A, and played right with a defending state champion with one of our best players missing on Monday. It’s also a great way to bond off the court and spend time together as a team.”
The Hawks have battled to a 3-3 record through December while playing multiple top teams from both WV and abroad, only playing once on their home floor.
“The tough schedule early on is important because it showed this team how hard they need to work to win games,” Lusk said. “We can play with anyone, and nothing should come as a surprise to us. We’ve been together with most of this group for multiple years now, so they know what we expect, and everyone knows each other well on and off the court.”
In each of their two victories in Myrtle Beach, UHS had three players score in double-figures.
Senior Hannah Stemple had 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists on Friday against Northridge. Junior Bri Fox led the game with 15 points, and senior Lexi Simpson provided 10 points and nine rebounds.
Fox added 17 points on Saturday against Lower Richland, with Stemple adding 11. Senior Julia Maisel provided 12 points, four assists, and four rebounds. UHS forced the Diamonds into 15 turnovers.
“We learned that when we share the basketball on offense, we are a pretty good team,” Lusk said. “But we also learned that when we put defense first, we’re a really good basketball team.”
UHS will enjoy its next two contests at home, hosting Parkersburg South on January 2 and Wheeling Park on January 7. Both games are set to tip at 7:30 p.m.
