Strong defense and good shooting powered third-seeded George Washington past No. 2 Morgantown Friday and in to the Class AAA state championship game.
The Patriots topped the Mohigans 52-37.
A sloppy first quarter ended with George Washington out front 9-7. The Patriots outscored the Mohigans 13-9 in the second quarter to take a 22-16 halftime lead.
The teams traded baskets in the third quarter. George Washington led 34-28 going into the final period.
The Patriots dominated a fourth quarter highlighted by a tomahawk dunk by senior Tyquane Goard.
Morgantown’s poor shooting doomed any chance of a comeback. The Mohigans finished the game shooting 29.8 percent from the field including only two of nine from three. Morgantown did not make a field goal in the final game’s final 4:19.
Sophomore standout Nathan Adrian went only four of 13 from the field for the Mohigans. He was held to only eight points and 10 rebounds. Michael Keffer scored a team-high 10 points for Morgantown.
Thomas Franke hit eight of 12 shots for George Washington to finish with 19 points. He also grabbed nine rebounds. Goard scored 14 and pulled down 13 rebounds for the Patriots.
George Washington will play Wheeling Park in the state title game Saturday. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m.