MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The Morgantown Mohigans claimed their third consecutive sectional championship, 22nd win this season and 40th consecutive victory against WVSSAC competition all in the same night Thursday.
It wasn’t without significant challenge from Wheeling Park, however, which the Mohigans were able to get past, 69-55, in the Class AAAA Region I, Section 1 final.
Senior Cam Danser was one of two Mohigans to score 14 points, including eight in the fourth quarter. Fellow senior Garrison Kisner added 12 points. The two forwards combined for 52 percent of the Mohigans’ points in the second half.
“Cam Danser was amazing, and I could not take him out of the game. I told him he needed an ice bath tonight,” said Morgantown head coach Dave Tallman. “He did a great job on the defensive end, getting out in transition and taking care of the ball. Cam stepped up big.”
Tallman also gave high praise to Kisner’s effort.
“I thought that was one of his better games of the season,” Tallman noted. “He was active and aggressive. Garrison did a great job changing shots when guys got past our guys on the defensive end.”
Morgantown (22-2) was yet again without all-state guard Sharron Young. Young has missed the last seven games for the Mohigans. However, he dressed and warmed up Thursday, but did not play.
Tallman said that will change next week when the Mohigans welcome Buckhannon-Upshur in regional play.
“He is back 100 percent. He will practice the next few days and play next Wednesday,” Tallman stated. “People do not realize that he has been working five to six hours daily. Sharron is chomping at the bit to come back. He has fresh legs and is two-hand slamming, which he did not do before, so watch out.”
Five Mohigans sparked the offense in the first quarter, including two triples from junior Izzy Everett. MHS led 16-10 after one quarter.
Everett finished with 14 points, including four triples. Everett, among other players, has stepped up in Young’s absence.
“Izzy, Jacob [King], and Marty [Johnson] stepped up during Sharron’s injury, and [Jonathon] Shrewsberry gave us awesome minutes. It is no secret we have depth. Those guys stepped up.”
Danser connected on his first field goal with 3:27 remaining in the second quarter, serving as the first of his back-to-back baskets. He would drill his only three 25 seconds later, giving MHS a 28-16 advantage.
Still, the Patriots (16-8) hung around by going on a 6-0 run in 1:08 and trimming their deficit to 30-24 following a basket from senior Brett Phillips with 1:32 left in the half.
WPHS trailed 32-26 at halftime.
The Mohigans’ length and activeness defensively caused havoc for Wheeling Park by turning the Patriots over eight times in the first half.
“[Wheeling Park point guard Aiden] Davis is a heck of a player, and I thought Izzy did a terrific job on him defensively,” Tallman mentioned. “Everybody stepped up. I have a ton of respect for Michael Jebbia and his staff and players. They should be seeded higher than people have them. They are one of the better teams we have played.”
Wheeling Park opened the second half on a 9-1 run, which gave the Patriots their first lead of the game, 35-33. Park got baskets from Cole Wilkinson, Phillips and back-to-back buckets from Davis during that early run.
However, the Patriots went cold in the final 5 minutes and scored only one field goal, which opened the door for the Mohigans. Morgantown capitalized over the final 2:12 by scoring nine unanswered points, including a buzzer-beating three from Shrewsberry.
MHS entered the final quarter ahead, 47-39.
Kisner came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring five consecutive points for the Mohigans, including a conventional three-point play after a two-handed dunk at the 7:16 mark.
Phillips responded for Park a minute later by converting on an old-fashioned three-point play to cut MHS’s lead to 52-44 with 6:13 remaining. He led all scorers with 19 points.
“He let it loose the whole month of February,” said Wheeling Park head coach Michael Jebbia. “He has played extremely well. Brett has that toughness and grit to him. He kept us right there in the first half.”
The Mohigans put the nail in the coffin with a quick 6-0 run to stretch their lead back out to 14 at 61-47, with 2:40 remaining.
Patriots’ freshman Amare Johnson tallied 15 points and made all seven of his free throws.
Morgantown has defeated Wheeling Park in all four meetings this season.
Wheeling Park travels to Bridgeport next Wednesday for the other Region I final.