MORGANTOWN, W.Va — Morgantown used 11 points in the fourth quarter from Kenzie Melko to knock of Musselman, 63-54 on Wednesday night. The Mohigans never trailed in the game as they raced out to a 16-5 first quarter lead, but needed go 6-of-6 from the line in game’s the final minute to preserve the victory.
The win avenged an early season loss for Morgantown to the Applemen, 87-81.
“Melko got hot,” said Morgantown head coach Tom Yester. “It was a nice night and really good for these guys. We’ve had a lot of games lately and I was happy they kept their focus.”
A key stretch late with under two minutes to go, and Morgantown up 54-51, came when Musselman’s Trevon Wesco went for a put-back dunk and missed. Morgantown’s Melko responded with a dagger 3 on the other end that ultimately put the game away for the Mohigans.
Morgantown (12-9) was led by senior Scottie Core who had 13 of his 17 points in the first half. Melko finished with 13 points off the bench and guard Antonio Morgano chipped in 11 in the win.
“He’s a senior and that’s what he’s supposed to do,” Yester said of Core. “I thought he played pretty well. We got the ball to him and I was happy we got the ball to him.
“This team has made pretty nice improvement, we were 2-5, but we have improved,” Yester said. “Hopefully we can (make a run) in the tournament.”
Musselman (15-6) was paced by 21 points from Thomas Hargroves and Wesco, who finished with a double-double, putting up 20 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. The Applemen struggled from the free throw line, going just 12-for-24.