CHARLESTON — The Morgantown Mohigans, defending Class AAAA girls’ basketball state champions, will begin their state title defense Tuesday morning as the 2024 WVSSAC girls’ state basketball tournament begins from the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center in Charleston.
Fourth-seeded MHS will match up against No. 5 seed Greenbrier East, coached by WV Governor Jim Justice, in the first game of the AAAA competition at 11:15 a.m.
The Mohigans defeated University 59-42 in a Region I co-final to punch their ticket to the state tournament.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams for multiple seasons.
“Greenbrier East is good offensively and we have to make sure to cover their shooters — they aren’t afraid to put the ball in the air,” MHS coach Doug Goodwin said. “Running our proper rotations will be key for us in this game on defense because they can also attack the gaps if they have the chance.”
GE enters the tournament averaging 63.3 points per contest. The 21-4 Spartans began the season 3-3 but went on a tear after that, winning 18 of their final 19 games, including a current streak of eight games.
For the Mohigans it was a bit of a different journey, winning their first nine games. They are 3-7 since that point, losing six of seven games between the end of January and the beginning of February.
The Mohigans will look to rely on their team defense in the quarterfinal bout, as they have allowed 45 points per game to opponents this season.
At the same time, Goodwin said the confidence of his players has been growing consistently through the second half of the season on the offensive side. Being able to play at multiple tempos and controlling the pace of the game will be beneficial for MHS during its title defense.
“I think our girls have been getting better each game and their patience on the floor has increased,” Goodwin said. “We didn’t do anything special in the University game the other night, we just settled in and did what we had to do to get the job done.”
Coming into the week, Goodwin said he knows his team feels the pressure of not only playing in the state tournament but defending a state title also.
“This is sort of the same feeling I had back in 2014 when we were the six-seed,” Goodwin recalled, as MHS went on to win the first of three-straight titles from 2014-2016. “Wins and losses and how that season went have felt slightly similar and we went on to win it all. Once you hit the floor down there you have to relax and go play. If it’s your first time or your last time, you have to handle your emotions when the time comes.”
Morgantown may be without returning first-team all-state selection Lily Jordan, who has missed the last month of the season with an injury.
Despite the loss of Jordan, MHS can look upon senior Sofia Wassick, also a first-team selection last year, and junior Sadaya Jones, who scored 33 points in the Mohigans’ Region I title victory over UHS.
Winners of Tuesday’s quarterfinal game will move on to play in the Class AAAA semifinals on Friday at 1 p.m.
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