MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In a game that featured several lead changes in the first half and lengthy scoring runs from both teams, Morgantown outlasted city rival University 65-59 on Bakers Ridge.
The Mohigans erased a fourth-quarter deficit with a 10-0 run to win their sixth consecutive game.
“I am really proud of the girls’ efforts tonight. They really settled in the fourth quarter. We got the ball across and we were able to run our motion a little bit better. I think that settled us down once we got into that a couple times,” said Morgantown head coach Doug Goodwin.
The lead changed hands five times in a tightly-contested first half. Morgantown used an 8-0 run to take a 17-16 lead after the opening frame. The Mohigans (10-2) extended that lead to seven points [38-31] at halftime. Junior guard Sofia Wassick scored the final five points in the second quarter, which included a buzzer-beating triple.
“With her quickness and speed, it is hard to match up with [Wassick] on the floor. When we get rebounds, push the ball out and get down the floor, that’s good and that’s a bonus for us when she finishes well.”
MHS extended their lead to nine points early in the third quarter before the Hawks answered with a 7-0 run. UHS took a pair of one-point leads later in the stanza. Morgantown regained a 51-50 lead at the end of the third.
With 6:30 to play, a three-point basket from Ella Simpson gave University a 54-53 edge. However, that would be the last field goal for the Hawks for the next six minutes. Wassick scored six consecutive points to spark a 10-0 run that gave the Mohigans a lead they would not relinquish.
“On my board when we started, my statement was, ‘Control your emotions’. I told them that I didn’t do a very good job at times controlling my emotions,” Goodwin said. “But they did and I think that is what helped us out greatly in the fourth quarter.”
Morgantown and University will square off again Friday at MHS. The Mohigans will play three games in four days next week.
“We’ve got John Marshall coming in on Wednesday and we can’t take them for granted. We’ve got University High again on Friday night. Then we turn around and play Cabell Midland the next day at 1:30. So we’ve got a tough week coming up for us. We are just going to do our best to get ready and prepare for it.”
Wassick led Morgantown with 19 points. Lily Jordan scored 15 and Lindsay Bechtel added a dozen. Simpson led University (8-6) with 24 points. Hannah Stemple added 11 points.