INWOOD, W.Va. — A young Musselman team advanced to the boys basketball state tournament last year, exceeding expectations for a group that was perhaps a year ahead of schedule.
With four starters back this season, the Applemen have embraced higher expectations and jumped out to an 11-1 record entering this week. That lone setback came to eastern panhandle rival Martinsburg, 64-61.
“It’s been an uphill climb for us,” said Musselman coach Derek Basile. “This is my 14th season and every year we’ve got kids to commit more and more to working hard. We’ve had pretty solid clubs since 2008, making the state tournament in 2009 and last year. It’s really a compliment to all of our kids, they’ve really put a lot of time and effort into it.”
A key stretch last year for Musselman came in February as the Applemen picked up wins over both Hedgesville and Martinsburg. Those victories proved that Basile’s club would be a serious factor in the ultra competitive eastern panhandle.
“That was big. We were 6-6 on Super Bowl Sunday,” Basile said. “That Hedgesville win was a breakthrough in that our guys saw that we could play with anyone in the panhandle. Going into Martinsburg and winning was huge for the program as well. It really boosted the kids’ confidence at that point. Ultimately getting to the state tournament later in the year was a great accomplishment for our kids because we were really young.”
Instead of that youth, it’s now a much more experienced — and dangerous — Musselman team looking to make a return trip to the state tournament and secure a higher seed. The Applemen were the eight seed last year, falling to Parkersburg South in the quarterfinals as then-junior Kyle Jackson scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss.
Jackson has continued with that momentum into this season, averaging around 20 points per game.
“I think that game really lit the fire under Kyle that night,” Basile said. “I think that he saw he could perform on the big stage. He put in a tremendous offseason and has played very well up to this point this year. He has improved his shooting and can make the 3 point shot now. He drives the ball to the basket well and he’s one of our best on-ball defenders.”
Musselman still has plenty of key challenges ahead, including Friday’s scheduled game at undefeated Bridgeport. But so far, the Applemen have positioned themselves as legitimate state tournament contenders again — and perhaps a potential dark horse if they make it back to Charleston.
“The biggest thing is that our guys play together and they share the ball. We don’t have any superstars, they just enjoy playing the game,” he said. “They don’t care who scores and they don’t care who the starters are. They’re just very team oriented guys and I couldn’t be any more proud of how they’ve played to this point.”
The Applemen are rated No. 4 out of the most recent MetroNews Power Index.
| MUSSELMAN 2015-2016 Boys Basketball Schedule |
||||||
| 12/11/15 | H – | BROADFORDING CHRISTIAN | 83 | – | 50 | W |
| 12/12/15 | H – | MERCERSBURG ACADEMY (Pa.) |
76 | – | 38 | W |
| 12/15/15 | A – | HAMPSHIRE | 72 | – | 56 | W |
| 12/29/15 | A – | SHENANDOAH VALLEY CHRISTIAN | 92 | – | 60 | W |
| 12/30/15 | A – | ALLEGANY (Md.) |
73 | – | 56 | W |
| 01/08/16 | A – | WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL | 70 | – | 56 | W |
| 01/09/16 | H – | SOMERSET, PA | 91 | – | 78 | W |
| 01/12/16 | H – | SPRING MILLS |
67 | – | 36 | W |
| 01/15/16 | H – | JEFFERSON | 66 | – | 53 | W |
| 01/16/16 | H – | ELKINS | 71 | – | 60 | W |
| 01/19/16 | H – | HAMPSHIRE | 71 | – | 31 | W |
| 01/21/16 | H – | MARTINSBURG | 61 | – | 64 | L |
| 01/26/16 | A – | SPRING MILLS |
– | |||
| 01/29/16 | A – | BRIDGEPORT |
– | |||
| 01/30/16 | A – | SOUTH CHARLESTON | – | |||
| 02/05/16 | A – | HEDGESVILLE |
– | |||
| 02/06/16 | H – | ELKINS | – | |||
| 02/09/16 | H – | WASHINGTON |
– | |||
| 02/12/16 | A – | MARTINSBURG | – | |||
| 02/16/16 | A – | JEFFERSON | – | |||
| 02/19/16 | H – | HEDGESVILLE |
– | |||
| 02/23/16 | H – | FAITH CHRISTIAN | – | |||
| wins: 11 lost: 1 ties: 0 | ||||||