INWOOD, W.Va. — No. 1 Washington flexed its muscle on Friday night, cruising to a 91-64 win over Musselman (9-2) on the road. The Patriots (11-0) used a combination of pressure defense and hot-shooting to jump on the Applemen quickly – and they didn’t let up.
”We got the rust off real early, the kids pushed the ball up the floor and we were able to jump on them early,” Washington coach Don Bullett said.
Washington started the game on a 9-0 run, holding Musselman without a field goal until the 5:48 mark in the first quarter. Dominique Newman jump-started the offense for Washington, scoring the Patriots’ first seven points, en route to a 25 point performance on the night. Maleke Jones finished with a game-high 29 points to lead Washington overall as he knocked down three 3’s as well.
“We got some kids that can get (the ball) up the floor like Dom and Maleke, and they both shot the ball well tonight as well,” Bullett said.
Jerome Jones also put in three shots from beyond the arc, as he finished with 18 points in the win. The Patriots finished the night netting 10 3’s overall – they also went 23-of-31 from the free throw line.
“When a team like that is shooting the ball well it is tough to beat them,” Musselman coach Derek Basile said. “They made 10 3’s and shot the ball well tonight.”
The Applemen were bothered all night by the heavy pressure, but two bright spots came from Trevon Wesco and Tommy Hargroves. Wesco brought the crowd to its feet twice in the first half with emphatic dunks, including one that beat the first half buzzer. Wesco finished with a team high 26 points as Hargroves chipped in 18 in the loss.
“The pressure affected us a lot in the first half and we turned the ball over to much,” Basile said. “Wesco is a terrific player, he’s going to hold his own with anyone, we just got into a hole in the first half and couldn’t dig out of it. ”
*** Also out of the eastern panhandle on Friday night, it was Martinsburg avenging an early season loss to Hedgesville, beating the Eagles 61-52.