MORGANTOWN — Sometimes the sequel is better than the original.
Friday night’s rematch between cross-town rivals Morgantown and University somehow surpassed the exciting, high-powered game the two played just six days prior. MHS won the first meeting 65-59 using a second-half comeback and pulled off the same feat Friday in even more dramatic fashion winning 42-40 inside the Rowdy Center.
With the Hawks (9-7) leading 40-39 in the final minute, Morgantown senior Mia Henkins banked in a three-pointer that put the Mohigans up 42-40 with just 14 seconds left. The shot appeared to be too strong coming out of her hands, so much so that even Henkins herself wasn’t sure it was going in.
“It was crazy, I have never hit a game shot like that,” Henkins said. “I didn’t think it was going in at all, it did not look good from where I shot it. But it went in, I had a great pass from my teammates, everybody boxed out and it was perfect.”
“That’s as high pressure as it can get,” MHS coach Doug Goodwin added. “It went up in the air and I thought it was a little deep and then it just kissed off the glass. I just relaxed a little bit at that point, but you can’t relax too much in this game.”
After taking the lead, MHS then had to play defense, doing so perfectly by forcing a turnover, a five-second violation on an inbounds pass and a deflection as the final buzzer sounded.
“It’s great,” Henkins said of the win. “They’re a great team to it’s great to get a win against them. It’ll be like that whenever we play them again in regionals.”
After the first game was a bit of an offensive showing, Friday’s was very much dictated by the defenses.
“We’ve worked on it since the last game matchup up out of it and I think we did a heck of a job,” UHS coach Nick Lusk said. “They gave effort and that’s what we always say, if we give effort we’re going to be there right at the end and we were, they just made one more shot than us.”
The Hawks led 26-20 at halftime after posting identical 13-10 advantages in the first two quarters. In the second half, it was the Mohigans who came out strong, switching to a 2-3 zone and pressing a little bit.
“We went to our zone and I think we gave them some fits,” Goodwin said. “We needed to cover the high post a little better, but I thought that turned things around and got us rolling.”
When Morgantown started getting stops on defense, it’s offense started to pick up as well, especially from the three-point line. Henkins, Kate Hawkins and Revaya Sweeny each hit a trey during an 11-0 third-quarter run that gave MHS its first lead of the game, 35-32.
“The second half was definitely a lot more energetic,” Henkins said. “We were a little slow in the first half, just weren’t playing good defense. In the second half, I feel like we valued the ball a lot more, picked up our defense altogether and played better as a team.”
Morgantown led 35-34 entering the final frame but UHS hit a three-pointer and a free throw to go up 38-35. Henkins’ second of three triples tied the game at 38. University’s Ella Simpson put back a rebound for a 40-39 lead, but Henkins’ three-pointer in the waning seconds was the difference.
“U High played a heck of a game tonight,” Goodwin said. “We probably stole that one right there, but I’ll take the W.”
Henkins, who didn’t score at all before halftime, finished with nine points on three treys, all coming in big situations.
“You’ve got to know, even if you’re not making them, you’re going to make them at some point,” she said. “If your teammates give you good passes, you have to knock them down, you have to help them out.”
Lindsay Bechtel led the Mohigans with 12 while Jordan finished with 11.
University was led by Simpson’s 10 while Eden Gibson and Hannah Stemple each had eight. Emily Sharkey chipped in seven.
Morgantown is right back at it this afternoon as the Mohigans host No. 4 Cabel Midland for a 1:30 p.m. tip. University will take the weekend off before traveling to face Buckhannon-Upshur on Tuesday.
Morgantown 42, University 40
UHS 13 13 8 6 — 40
MHS 10 10 15 7 — 42
University — Sharkey 3 0-0 7; Gibson 3 0-0 8; Boateng 2 1-2 5; E. Simpson 5 0-0 10; Stemple 4 0-0 8; Weaver 1 0-0 2.
Morgantown — Wassick 1 0-0 2; Jordan 5 1-4 11; Henkins 3 0-0 9; Bechtel 5 1-2 12; Hawkins 1 2-2 5; Sweeny 1 0-3 3.
3 Pt. Goals — University 3 (Gibson 2, Sharkey 1). Morgantown 6 (Henkins 3, Bechtel 1, Hawkins 1, Sweeny 1).
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