Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval  Watch |  Listen

Huskies have plenty of bark during unbeaten start to season

North Marion head coach Chris Freeman was excited about his team’s two-point win over Fairmont Senior, which allowed the Huskies to improve to 6-0.

 

RACHEL, W.Va. — North Marion’s boys basketball team won its first five games this season by an average of 26.2 points.

Perhaps that explains the excitement level of Huskies’ head coach Chris Freeman late Monday after his team improved to 6-0 with a 45-43 win over Fairmont Senior.

The victory wasn’t secure until Praise Chukwudozie soared for an offensive rebound and putback dunk to break a 43-all tie with 3.6 seconds left, and Gunner Murphy stole the Polar Bears’ enusing inbound pass.

“We knew, sooner or later, we’re going to get in a battle. It was good that it was at home,” Freeman said. “The crowd was excellent and they were into it all night. I thought that helped. 

“We’re always working on time and score and understanding what we have to do, so that was a plus. For a packed house and a county rivalry game, our guys did a pretty good job of executing what we needed to down the stretch to find a way to win.”

North Marion is one of eight undefeated teams remaining in the state and one of just two in Class AA — with Shady Spring the other. The Huskies are No. 7 in the first edition of the MetroNews power index.

Monday’s matchup with FSHS was the start of a five-game home stand for the Huskies that includes tonight’s contest with Buckhannon-Upshur, followed by games against East Fairmont, Philip Barbour and Weir in the near future.

“We haven’t been faced with this type of challenge yet,” Huskies’ leading scorer Gunner Murphy said. “East Fairmont is pretty good and we beat them by a comfortable margin (68-49 back on Dec. 14). “But this is good for the team. Being in that type of situation and being able to persevere through it and all the adversity is a good thing.”

Murphy, a standout quarterback on the Huskies’ seven-win football team, is the team’s go-to player and top offensive weapon. He scored 21 points to go with nine rebounds against the Polar Bears. Despite an off shooting night that included a missed jumper in the final seconds, the attention Murphy draws from opposing defenses is a big benefit to his teammates and helped lead to the game-winning dunk from Chukwudozie. 

The 6-foot-5 Murphy is averaging 22.2 points, more than double the average of the team’s next-highest scorer — Chukwudozie at 10.8.  

“If I see no help defense, I’m going to try to get by my guy and score that way,” Murphy said. “If not, I either give it up or see if I can score another way.”

But the Huskies are far from a one-man show and rely heavily on all five starters. 

At 6-foot-6 and with no shortage of length, Chukwudozie makes a major impact on both ends of the court and is averaging a double double. Senior post player Michael Garrett is a steady glue guy who doesn’t try to do much out of his comfort zone, while sophomore guards Tariq Miller and Cruz Tobin provide ball-handling, perimeter shooting and plenty of quickness.

“We try to find ways to creat mismatches and it was hard (against Fairmont Senior) because they match up pretty well with us,” Freeman said. “They have pretty good size, pretty good length and Jaelin Johnson to guard Gunner.

“If we could have made a few more free throws down the stretch, we wouldn’t have had to worry about winning it at the end. But we found ways to win and that’s the sign of a good team. I thought it was a great team win.”





More High School Sports

High School Sports
Class AAAA Boys Basketball All-State List
Morgantown guard Sharron Young captain of first team.
March 29, 2024 - 9:25 am
High School Sports
Herbert Hoover improves to 10-0 with 2-1 win over Hurricane
The Huskies collected a pair of victories Thursday in the Guard the Capital Invitational in Charleston.
March 29, 2024 - 12:51 am
High School Sports
Independence bests Wahama, 10-2 in the Guard the Capital Tournament
March 28, 2024 - 9:03 pm
High School Sports
Photo gallery: University defeats Bridgeport, 12-3
March 28, 2024 - 6:24 pm