MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Martinsburg is hoping to reclaim the top spot in the eastern panhandle after missing the boys basketball state tournament a season ago.
The Bulldogs (6-3), who won the 2013 state championship, saw Hedgesville and Washington advance from Class AAA Region 2 last season. With Washington in rebuilding mode under a new head coach, Martinsburg already has posted wins over eastern panhandle contenders Hedgesville (57-47) and Jefferson (76-68).
“We have some teams that are very young (in the eastern panhandle), and we’re one of them,” Martinsburg coach Dave Rogers said. “I think Jefferson is a very good team and they have a nice, young point guard. Hedgesville lost one of its best players, but they’re still very good. Spring Mills will be good and Musselman is hanging in there. It’ll be a battle over here and whomever comes out of this region by the end of the year hopefully will be pretty good.”
The Bulldogs have been starting two sophomores, two juniors and a senior, along with bringing two more sophomores off the bench.
“We’re really impressed with our junior guard Jarrell Jones,” Rogers said. “He, without question, is going to be one of the best players in the state – he can shoot it and get to the basket. We have a sophomore guard in Jessiya Villa who is going to be very good. Juwan Green is also going to be a good player for us.
“We have a 6-foot-6 center in Noah Miller who has really come on as a senior. We also have a couple of sophomores at 6-foot-4 behind him who are working extremely hard,” Rogers said.
“When you have young basketball teams, you look good one night and then come back and don’t look very good the next night. Hopefully we’ll pull it together, but eastern panhandle basketball is alive and well.”
The complete interview with Rogers is posted above.
| MARTINSBURG Boys basketball schedule |
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| 1 | 12/10/14 07:00PM | A | OAKDALE, MD HS | 57 | – | 66 | L | |
| 2 | 12/15/14 07:30PM | A | SHERANDO, VA H.S. | 71 | – | 54 | W | |
| 3 | 12/19/14 06:00PM | A | CESAR CHAVEZ CHARTER/JEFFERSON MIXER | 54 | – | 65 | L | |
| 4 | 12/20/14 06:00PM | A | BROADFORDING CHRISTIAN/JEFFERSON MIXER | 74 | – | 43 | W | |
| 5 | 12/29/14 08:00PM | H | BRIAR WOODS, VA./MARTINSBURG HOOPS CLASSIC | 79 | – | 51 | W | |
| 6 | 12/30/14 06:00PM | H | WESTSIDE, WV/MARTINSBURG HOOPS CLASSIC | 62 | – | 65 | L | |
| 7 | 01/02/15 07:30PM | H | WASHINGTON | 70 | – | 55 | W | |
| 8 | 01/09/15 07:30PM | A | HEDGESVILLE | 57 | – | 47 | W | |
| 9 | 01/13/15 07:30PM | H | JEFFERSON | 76 | – | 68 | W | |
| 10 | 01/16/15 07:30PM | H | SPRING MILLS | – | ||||
| 11 | 01/21/15 07:30PM | H | SHERANDO, VA H.S. | – | ||||
| 12 | 01/23/15 07:30PM | H | MUSSELMAN | – | ||||
| 13 | 01/24/15 07:30PM | A | MORGANTOWN | – | ||||
| 14 | 01/30/15 06:00PM | A | BIG ATLANTIC CLASSIC | – | ||||
| 15 | 01/31/15 06:00PM | A | BIG ATLANTIC CLASSIC | – | ||||
| 16 | 02/03/15 07:30PM | H | HEDGESVILLE | – | ||||
| 17 | 02/06/15 07:30PM | A | JEFFERSON | – | ||||
| 18 | 02/07/15 07:30PM | H | MORGANTOWN | – | ||||
| 19 | 02/13/15 07:30PM | A | MUSSELMAN | – | ||||
| 20 | 02/17/15 07:30PM | A | SPRING MILLS | – | ||||
| 21 | 02/18/15 07:30PM | H | OAKDALE, MD HS | – | ||||
| 22 | 02/20/15 07:30PM | A | WASHINGTON | – | ||||
| wins: 6 lost: 3 ties: 0 | ||||||||