CHARLESTON – The Morgantown girls’ basketball team fell 62-45 to top-seeded Spring Valley in the Class AAAA state championship on Saturday in Charleston.
The Timberwolves took an 11-8 lead midway through the opening quarter and never surrendered it, continuously building on their advantage for most of the game.
The Mohigans shot 23% in the game (12/51, 7/28 3pt.). Sophomore Tatum DeVries led MHS with 16 points and four triples.
Spring Valley’s Sophi Hutchison scored a game-high 24 points on 10 of 16 shooting, adding five rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Hutchison took home tournament MVP honors.
“We came out at the beginning playing our game, and then when they made their run, we just never responded,” MHS head coach John Fowkes said. “Halfcourt offense wasn’t our strength tonight, and credit to Spring Valley, they took a lot away with their defense. These kids are awesome, have done a tremendous job, and are resilient. I’ll put this one on my shoulders.”
The opening two minutes of the game saw only one field goal for each team as the Mohigans took an early 3-2 lead on a triple by DeVries.
Both teams applied fullcourt pressure that set the tempo of the game from the jump.
DeVries hit her second three of the quarter to push the lead to three, 8-5, but Dria Parker answered with a triple of her own for the Timberwolves that sparked an 8-0 run.
That run continued through the remainder of the quarter, growing to 15-2 and giving Spring Valley a 20-10 lead heading into the second.
The only point scored by MHS after DeVries made her second three-pointer at the 4:31 mark in the first quarter was a free throw by Sadaya Jones until Carper Messerly hit a three from the corner, cutting the deficit to nine, 23-14.
Kayli Kellogg didn’t score her first two points until midway through the second on a pair of tries at the line.
She finished with 11 points on 3 of 19 from the floor.
MHS continued to try and chip away at the lead but struggled to pair baskets with stops, allowing Spring Valley to swell the lead to 33-19 with 90 seconds until halftime.
“I think it was a mix of their defense and us not executing well,” Fowkes said. “They took us out of our transition and made it hard for us to get comfortable. I thought it was a pretty physical ball game. It seemed like they may have wanted it a little bit more at times.”
A pair of free throws by DeVries and a jumper by Brenna Nelson gave MHS some life going into the break but trailing 36-23.
Spring Valley began the second half with a pair of layups by Hutchison and a triple by Brooklyn Ellis, pushing the lead to 43-26.
The lead grew as the Mohigans struggled to find the bottom of the net. Spring Valley’s 17-8 advantage in the third quarter pushed the lead to 22, 53-31.
MHS made a final push in the fourth, winning the quarter 14-8, but the deficit was too much to overcome in the defeat.
“It was a great run this season for this squad,” Fowkes said. “We had a heck of a season for a first-year coach, and I think we have what it takes to be back here. Tonigh,t they made shots, and we didn’t and that’s basketball for you. As a coach, the relationships you build with these kids is special, and I love them all. Outside of my own family, these kids are my life. They’re the best human beings in the world.”
BOX SCORE
Spring Valley 62, Morgantown 45
SVHS 20 16 17 9 – 45
MHS 10 13 8 14 – 62
Morgantown – DeVries 4 4-4 16 Kellogg 3 4-4 11 Jones 1 5-8 7 Nelson 3 0-3 7 Messerly 1 0-0 3 Hatcher 0 1-2 1
Spring Valley – Hutchison 10 4-6 24 Ellis 4 3-8 13 Daniels 4 4-4 12 Parker 3 0-0 9 Giles 2 0-0 4
3pt goals made – Morgantown 7 (DeVries 4 Kellogg 1 Messerly 1 Nelson 1); Spring Valley 5 (Parker 3 Ellis 2).
Class AAAA all-tournament team
Sophi Hutchison, Spring Valley (MVP)
Allie Daniels, Spring Valley
Brooklyn Ellis, Spring Valley
Dria Parker, Spring Valley
Sadaya Jones, Morgantown
Kayli Kellogg, Morgantown
Jaycee Elzy, St. Albans
Jeriyah Pryor, George Washington
