MORGANTOWN — Morgantown High forward Garrett Haines just needed to loosen up.
“Last year I didn’t shoot that good or score that much,” he said. “I knew I needed to step up for my team.
“Last year, I wasn’t relaxed. Now I’m more relaxed when I shoot. Last year I thought about it. I don’t think about it anymore. I just let it fly.”
The senior found his rhythm Friday evening, sinking six total shots and three 3-pointers, leading the Mohigans (2-0) with 16 points en route to a 91-40 win against sectional rival Buckhannon-Upshur.
Haines’ performance is just one representation of a Morgantown squad which has much improved on the offensive end of the floor from last season.
“I think its real simple, I think they put the work in during the offseason. They lived in the gym,” Morgantown coach Dave Tallman said. “It’s nice to see the ball start to go in, and I think our defense is still where it was.”
Morgantown managed to score just 60 points per game last season, breaking the 80-point barrier only twice in 26 contests. Following Friday night, the Mohigans have scored at least 80 points each game so far this season — averaging 89 points per game.
“We’re just making shots. We’ve got a lot more shot makers this year,” Haines said. “We’re doing extra work — putting up extra shots and building confidence. Making shots in practice gives you confidence.
“If you miss it, we have big men that are going to rebound and get it back anyway. You have to shoot with confidence that you’re going to make it or we’re going to get it back.”
Haines’ trio of three-point buckets led an astounding team effort from deep — with the team converting 13 shots from 3-point range. The Mohigans have also knocked down at least 10 3-pointers in each game this season.
“We’ve really worked on it,” Tallman said. “I think a lot of it is that they’re getting wide-open looks because we have good players that can get to the rim.
“We have great big guys inside, and teams have to account for that and help and double team, which leaves our shooters wide open. We’re going to be a tough team to guard this year because of that.”
The offensive productivity wasn’t limited to a few players for the Mohigans, either — with 13 players tallying points in Friday’s dominating win.
“We just have better offensive players this year. These guys have really improved,” Tallman said. “We have kids that are really good friends. The chemistry is really good — which I think makes a big difference on the offensive end. They’re looking for each other on the court, and there’s a lot of good vibes going on with this team.
“We can go 13 to 14 deep with guys that can really play, and we’re playing really fast. Our speed of the game gets to teams a few minutes into the game. They really wear down, and we can go to our bench. We just tell our guys, ‘when you’re out there, play as hard as you can.’ We have guys on the bench that are really capable that are ready to come in and help.”
Seniors Cam Selders and Nick Malone also recorded double-digit performances for the Mohigans, scoring 11 points and 10 points respectively. Buccaneers’ sophomore Zachary White paced Buckhannon-Upshur with nine points.
