MORGANTOWN — While it might seem somewhat odd to see a major girls’ basketball rivalry game like University at Morgantown so early in the season, there’s no doubt that both teams looked at Wednesday night’s battle as a true measuring stick.
That measuring stick was decided early, as the top-ranked Mohigans went on a 17-0 run early in the first quarter on their way to a 60-41 victory.
After five minutes of steals and missed shots from both teams, the Hawks were holding onto a narrow 5-2 lead, but the Mohigans’ sharp-shooting duo of Tatum DeVries and Karli Kellogg finally found the range, as they combined for three quick 3-pointers off UHS turnovers. When University continued to struggle offensively, MHS ramped up the pressure throughout the second quarter as well. The lead stretched to 31-11 midway through the second and stood at 36-17 at the break.
DeVries nailed a pair of triples in the third quarter to stifle any thoughts of a Hawks comeback on her way to 17 points, and the final quarter played out at less than full-bore intensity with the final outcome all but determined. Kellogg led all scorers with 19 points. Solid senior Sadaya Jones scored 11, as did UHS center Lexi Simpson, while guard Hannah Stemple paced the Hawks with 14.
Although his team held Morgantown’s prolific offense more than 30 points below their average — MHS was averaging 92 points per game — and the final margin of victory was less than 20 points, UHS coach Nick Lusk was not the least bit interested in moral victories of any kind.
“We definitely didn’t play the way we need to play,” he said. “I think we missed some good looks early, and then we started to press and play a little too selfishly. I just think we got away from the team concept of our offense and tried to do too much individually. We didn’t do a good job of communicating, especially on defense, which gave them way too many open shots, and a team like MHS is going to knock those down. I know we are so much better than this, and that’s on me. We’re going to get in the gym, work hard, and make sure we get back to playing Hawks basketball.”
MHS coach John Fowkes was, not surprisingly, very pleased with the win.
“I’d say we finished with about a B+,” he smiled. “A first half A, then a little bit of complacency in the second half, which can happen when you’re up big. I want them to develop that killer instinct, and to stay up defensively, because after a rough start, I thought we shot it very well tonight – but that won’t be there every night. I really liked how we attacked offensively. We drove and kicked it out to open shooters all night, and that’s our game. We shoot 30 minutes every practice, and we often have five girls with green lights on the floor.
“You never know how your team will react to their first tough test,” he continued, “and I believe University is for sure a top five team in AAAA. So, for us to fight through some adversity early, stick with the plan, and come out with a solid win – I’m really proud of the whole team.”
University hosts the UHS Girls Basketball Tip-Off Classic this weekend, with the Mohigans facing Laurel Highlands (Pa.) at 6:00 p.m. Friday night, while the Hawks face the same team Saturday at noon.
Box score
UNIVERSITY (1-1)
Taylor Vanscoy 0 1-2 1 Julia Maisel 1 0-0 2 Brianna Cox 3 1-2 7 Lexi Simpson 5 1-2 11 Isabella Hall 1 0-0 2 Whitney Cox 2 0-0 4 Hannah Stemple 5 3-5 14 Totals 17 6-11 41
MORGANTOWN (3-0)
Sydney Deusenberry 2 3-6 8 Sydney Porter 2 1-2 5 Breana Nelson 0 0-2 0 Tatum DeVries 6 1-2 17 Sadaya Jones 4 2-2 11 Kayli Kellogg 8 1-2 19 Totals 22 8-16 60
University 7 10 11 13 – 41
Morgantown 22 14 17 7 – 60
Three-pointers – UHS 1 (Stemple), MHS 8 (DeVries 4, Kellogg 2, Jones, Deusenberry)
