MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — University sophomore point guard Kaden Metheny hit two long fourth quarter 3s, leading the Hawks, No. 2 in the MetroNews Power Index, back to beat rival Morgantown 47-41 on Friday night.
“Kaden stepped real big for us tonight,” said University coach Joe Schmidle. “The shots that he made and the times that he made them, the steals he made – they were critical. He just played a heck of a game.
“Those shots were out there, but they’re in his range,” he continued. “He knows he has the green light when he’s open. He was open and he knocked them down.”
Metheny led all scorers with 18 points, giving University a 35-33 lead with just under six minutes to go on one of those deep 3s — it was University’s first lead since a 9-7 advantage in the first quarter.
“I was open, so I took the shot,” Metheny said. “I knew we needed it. I’m glad I could help get the victory for us.”
The final dagger from Metheny came three minutes later when he hit from beyond the arc again, putting the Hawks (11-1) back up 38-36 with just over two minutes to go.
“I’ve been in those situations my entire life,” Metheny said. “Playing with my teammates, I have the confidence and they have the confidence in me to shoot those. I have to give my teammates props for letting me take those shots.”
Morgantown (7-7) led 23-17 at the half and 33-30 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Mohigans entered Friday having played the state’s most difficult schedule up to this point, according to the most recent MetroNews Power Index.
“My senior year at Magnolia in 2000, we were 10-11 in the regular season,” said Morgantown coach Dave Tallman. “We played one of the toughest schedules in the state of West Virginia. We ran the table (in the postseason) and won a state championship.
“I don’t care what our record is,” Tallman continued. “I just want to make sure we’re getting better every day and we definitely got better tonight. We’re getting a lot better, they’re working at it, the chemistry is great and the coaching staff is working hard.”
Aaron Alvarez led the Mohigans with 11 points in the loss.
Austin Forbes also scored 11 points for University behind Metheny, while Clay Bailey and Ethan Ridgeway both scored eight points apiece.
It was a nice bounce back win for the Hawks, who suffered their first loss of the season earlier in the week at No. 1 Parkersburg South.
“These guys are resilient,” Schmidle said. “They’re not just winners, but they hate to lose. Kaden Metheny, Ethan Ridgeway and Clay Bailey – I’ve never seen kids who hate to lose more than they do. When their backs are up against the wall, they just turn it up.”
Video highlights and radio calls from Dave Wilson on WAJR: