MORGANTOWN –- It can be and has been argued the Morgantown boys’ basketball team was ranked too low in the state’s AP preseason poll at No. 5, but three-straight dominant victories put to rest any doubt folks had about Dave Tallman’s team.
Some may say this sets a tone moving forward, but Tallman thinks otherwise.
“It really doesn’t set any tone for our next game,” he said. “We have to get refocused and need to get back to work. There’s a lot of improvements that we need to make like anyone this early in the season.”
Two of the Mohigans’ (3-0) wins came over top-10 opponents, No. 9 Musselman on Sunday and then-No. 1 Martinsburg on Saturday. The win over the Bulldogs catapulted them into the top spot in this week’s poll, the first time they’ve been ranked No. 1 since midway through the 2019-20 season.
There isn’t just one or two star players leading the team, either. Morgantown has been able to put opponents on ice easily in the last three games due to a full team effort, from seniors to freshmen. The deep eight-man rotation has been a blessing in this season, too, as all three of MHS’ games took place over three days.
“Everyone on the floor is usually pretty fresh and ready to go,” Tallman said. “Everyone knows and accepts their role, which makes it easy on the coaching staff.”
Seniors Carson Poffenberger (16.6 PPG) and Luke Bechtel (15.6 PPG) have hit double digits in each game, and junior Brooks Gage, though not breaking 10 points at Martinsburg, had 18 points against Washington and a huge 31 points at Musselman. He also set a new school record with nine 3-pointers at Musselman. Further, Sha-Ron Young has averaged 15.5 points over the last two games.
Of the scorers, however, Gage and Young are standing out the most at the moment. With the loss of Alex Rudy and Mac McMillen to graduation, the Mohigans needed some solid shooters. Tallman is pleased with his non-senior guards’ play so far.
“We see Brooks do that every day in practice,” Tallman said of Gage’s record-breaking day at Musselman. “He’s a great shooter, good athlete and an even better kid. I was happy for him on Sunday and so were his teammates.”
Another key piece to this Mohigans team is senior guard Xavier Pryor. Last year, Pryor was crucial on the floor when MHS wanted to push the tempo, for fast break opportunities and to get the ball into the hands of Rudy and McMillen. This year, his game has improved vastly and he’s flourishing in that same role. Over the weekend, he had a 28-5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
“He’s doing a great job of leading us from the point guard position,” Tallman said.
But, when someone climbs to the top of the rankings, a big target gets slapped on their back as teams strive to topple them. This isn’t new for Tallman or MHS, but he’s not letting his team get ahead of itself.
“There’s always a big target on our back at Morgantown High,” he said. “It’s nothing new to us. We’ve tried to build a program where winning is expected, so we usually get everyone’s best shot. Our guys know we have a lot of work ahead of us to reach our goals.”
Through the success, Tallman credits his staff: Folks who don’t always get the credit they’re due.
“My assistant coaches are doing a great job,” Tallman said. “They’re the hardest-working, most-dependable staff out there. We’re lucky to have Matt [Lemine], Nate [Tallman], Stevie [Sutherland], Dennis [Kerns] and John [Fowkes].”
Moving forward, the team will look to keep its composure, competitiveness and strong team identity.
“This is a fun group to be around. Practices get very competitive but once practice is over they shake hands and are good friends again,” Tallman said. “Guys on the bench during games are cheering for the guys on the floor. It’s great to see.”
Morgantown returns to action Friday at Wheeling Park. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m.
TWEET @andrewspellman_
